What is The Best Test for Histamine Intolerance

by Eileen Schutte | Jul 29, 2022 | Histamine Intolerance

What is the best test for histamine intolerance?

Are you giving up your favorite foods because you believe you are histamine intolerant to help relieve your symptoms?

Then you are probably looking for a test to determine if you are histamine intolerant and what might be the cause of your food intolerances.

After all, who wants to give up wine, cheese, yogurt, and avocados forever?

Determining if you are histamine intolerant can be frustrating as there is a lack of understanding and even recognition by most healthcare practitioners.

One of the causes of the lack of recognition of histamine intolerance being the cause of your symptoms is that there are currently no clinically proven tests for histamine intolerance.

Most of the tests for histamine intolerance in conventional medicine have not proven to be very accurate, including the often-used test known as testing for tryptase serum levels.

But could there be integrative tests not used in conventional medicine that could help you determine if you are histamine intolerant? And what might be the underlying cause of your histamine intolerance?

What is Histamine Intolerance?

Histamine is a chemical that our bodies releases and is used for many different purposes, including playing a major role in our immune system – think allergies.

Because it is technically a toxic compound, histamine needs to be degraded or broken down to prevent symptoms like digestive disturbances, insomnia, migraines, and allergic symptoms.

Most of the food we eat also contains histamine as a natural chemical that, in most cases, is produced by bacteria coming into contact with the food and converting histidine (protein building block) to histamine.

For instance, histamine levels increase with fermented foods as a reaction between the bacteria and histidine. Fish is exceptionally high in histidine, so fish that has been left out at room temperature for an extended period of time before cooking or eaten as a leftover will be very high in histamine.

Like other food intolerances, enzymes are used to break down chemicals and compounds in the food. For instance, lactase is the enzyme that breakdowns lactose (milk sugar), and a lack of lactase will lead to lactose intolerance.

Histamine that our bodies release and the histamine found in food are broken by two main enzymes: diamine oxidase (DAO) and histamine-N-methyltransferase (HNMT).

Histamine intolerance develops when histamine levels increases or our histamine “bucket” is full due to a lack of these enzymes that degrade histamine.

Why are Symptoms so Varied with Histamine Intolerance?

Histamine is synthesized and stored in many different parts of our body to help perform many functions.

One function is to support a healthy immune response to foreign invaders. When we develop allergies, we release high amounts of histamine hence the use of antihistamines to help control excessive histamine.

In addition, to being stored in our immune system, histamine is stored in gastric cells known as enterochromaffin cells, lymph nodes, and the thymus allowing histamine to be used for many functions, including stimulating gastric acid (stomach acid), healthy inflammatory response, and helping to manage blood pressure.

Because histamine is also produced as a neurotransmitter (brain signaling chemical), high histamine levels can impact our mental health and ability to sleep soundly throughout the night.

So, you can see how high histamine levels can lead to many symptoms, including digestive disturbances, insomnia, and more.

Migraines, Headaches
Insomnia
Brain Fog
Nausea
IBS – Both Constipation & Diarrhea
Anxiety
PMS – Estrogen Imbalances
Thyroid Dysfunction
Nerve & Muscle Pain
Allergic Symptoms
Autoimmune Flares – Hashimoto's, Psoriasis

What Are Causes of Histamine Intolerance?

We have been eating foods high in histamine for centuries as we use fermentation, drying, and smoking as a method to preserve our food. These preservations methods create high levels of histamine in our food like smoked fish, dried beef, or sauerkraut.

Why are people suddenly struggling with eating foods high in histamine like fermented vegetables, yogurt, and preserved meats? One of the reasons is that histamine intolerance was not recognized as a disorder until the 21^st century.

And we did not understand how histamine is degraded until recently with the continued research on gut health, the microbiome, and the genetics of histamine intolerance.

Determining the cause of histamine intolerance is exceptionally challenging as histamine has many functions in our body. High histamine levels can also cause various symptoms, from allergic symptoms to digestive disturbances.

More and more research is showing that histamine intolerance originates in the gut. Maybe this is because DAO is predominately produced in the gut, which helps to block and degrade histamine from our food.

Having intestinal permeability or leaky gut is now considered one of the leading causes of histamine intolerance as leaky gut decreases DAO. In addition, microbiome imbalances or dysbiosis, which plays a significant role in leaky gut, can increase histamine levels and lower DAO.

Are there other causes of histamine intolerance?

Autoimmune Conditions, i.e., Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis, or IBD
Other Food Sensitivities & Intolerances (i.e., Gluten, Tyramine, Sulfur)
Hidden Infections, i.e., Candida Overgrowth
Hormones – Estrogen Dominance
Chronic Stress
Genetics
Nutrient Imbalances
Allergies

What are Some of the Tests for Histamine Intolerance?

Right now, the “gold standard test” for histamine intolerance is to complete a symptom/food journal like my journal for 30 days and see if high histamine foods may be the cause of your symptoms. Get my journal which includes a list of high histamine foods and cooking tips to lower histamine in your meals.

In addition to completing a journal and consuming a low histamine diet, try supplementing with DAO Enzyme like Histamine Manager. If these supplementing with DAO helps, then you most likely have a reduced DAO enzyme.

Histamine Digest – 30,000 HDU of Diamine Oxidase DAO per Serving – Digestive Enzyme to Help Block and Manage Food-Derived Histamine Intolerance, 60 capsules

Histamine Digest contains 30,000 HDU per serving of the active enzyme Diamine Oxidase (DAO) responsible for neutralizing histamine in your digestive tract. Due to genetics or autoimmune conditions, your body may not make enough DAO to degrade the histamine in your digestive tract.

Get 15% off – sign up for my Fullscript Account.

Doing a food/symptom journal will help you to identify if you are histamine intolerant and hopefully give you some relief from your symptoms. After all, it was how I discovered I was histamine intolerant and finally got some relief from my IBS, anxiety, psoriasis flare-ups, PMS, and migraines.

However, a food journal and supplements won't get down to the cause of your histamine intolerance. Knowing the cause of your histamine intolerance is the first step towards resolving histamine intolerance, reducing symptoms, and getting back to eating the foods you love.

Let's look at some of the tests for histamine intolerance, including those that will help you get down to the underlying cause.

DAO Enzyme – Serum (Blood)
Histamine – Serum (Blood)
Tryptase
Food Intolerances – Gluten
Leaky Gut or Intestinal Permeability
Neurotransmitters – Histamine, Glutamate (Urine)
Genetics

Is Testing for Histamine and DAO Very Accurate for Histamine Intolerance?

Current research shows that testing for the DAO enzyme levels can be a reasonably accurate way to determine histamine intolerance. However, it does not determine the cause of histamine intolerance.

In one study, patients who struggled with histamine intolerance were found to have low DAO enzymes. It has also been shown that patients with IBD (Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's) did have reduced DAO enzyme, and symptoms improved with a low histamine diet.

Testing for serum (blood) histamine and tryptase alone have not been shown to be an accurate method for testing for histamine intolerance. These tests are not as reliable to determine if you have histamine intolerance because blood samples are a moment in time as histamine is rapidly metabolized.

To test positive for histamine intolerance, you would have to either eat a meal high in histamine or have an “event” like an allergic reaction at that moment or shortly before your blood is drawn.

Tryptase, which is often used to diagnose mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), samples would need to be taken throughout the day or during what they refer to as an “event” to be accurate.

However, testing for serum DAO and histamine can be a reliable test for histamine intolerance by looking at the ratio between DAO and histamine. For instance, if histamine is high with a low DAO, this could indicate histamine intolerance.

Can Testing for Leaky Gut Be an Accurate Test for Histamine Intolerance?

Since leaky gut is one of the leading causes of histamine intolerance, could a test for leaky gut be an accurate way to test for histamine intolerance and determine the underlying cause at the same time?

We do know that leaky gut often increases what is known as zonulin. With increased zonulin levels, you will see decreased DAO enzyme. And often times increased histamine intolerance.

One of the leading causes of leaky gut is gluten intolerance. What if you had a test that tested not only for leaky gut but also for gluten intolerance?

The at-home Wheat Zoomer test by Vibrant Wellness tests for both! In addition, it also tests for zonulin, giving you a good idea that if that level is high, most likely, your DAO is low.

Now you have a pretty good idea if you are histamine intolerant AND what the cause is! Learn more about my Wheat Zoomer Package and get started resolving histamine intolerance today.

WHEAT ZOOMER TEST

Easy At-Home Test For Gluten Intolerance/Leaky Gut

Learn More

What is the Best Test for Histamine Intolerance?

What if there was a test that not only tested for leaky gut, but histamine, and DAO levels? And would test for possible dysbiosis or microbiome imbalances, another key cause of histamine intolerance.

With the Precision Point Diagnostics' Advanced Intestinal Barrier Assessment (AIBA), you can begin your journey toward resolving histamine intolerance. This integrative test tests histamine, DAO, zonulin, leaky gut, and possible bacterial infection. Remember bacterial imbalances in the microbiome promotes histamine release.

Whereas this test does not include testing for gluten intolerance, you can be pretty sure if zonulin levels are high, you may be intolerant to gluten.

The AIBA test is not only a key indicator of histamine intolerance; it will provide you with the underlying cause! Knowing the underlying cause is the key to overcoming histamine intolerance.

It will also give you the ability to rule out histamine intolerance as there are other intolerances and allergies that can have the same symptoms, like sulfur, glutamate, and an allergy to nickel.

By the way, many foods high in histamine are also high in nickel. Ruling out histamine intolerance may point you in the right direction!

Are you ready to begin resolving histamine intolerance and leaky gut? Get my Advanced Intestinal Barrier Assessment Package today. Payment plan also available.

Advanced Intestinal Barrier Assessment Package

Learn More

Choline Deficiency May Make Your Histamine Intolerance Worse

by Eileen Schutte | Jan 29, 2021 | Food Sensitivities Intolerances, Histamine Intolerance

Choline Deficiency Make Your Histamine Intolerance Worse

Are you avoiding eggs because they are high in histamine? You may be making your histamine intolerance worse by avoiding eggs that are high in choline!

Eggs are often referred to as being high in histamine. But are they? The egg whites are histamine liberators while the yolk which contains choline is actually low in histamine.

Choline is one of the most overlooked essential nutrients, and deficiencies are becoming more common, especially in post-menopausal women.

Often referred to as a B-vitamin, choline plays a crucial role in the B-vitamin cycle or what is known as methylation.

Since our bodies make choline, it is not a vitamin as vitamins are considered nutrients that the body needs but does not make. If the body makes choline, why has it been declared as an essential nutrient?

Many different factors, including your genetics, can increase our need for choline. Research shows that choline's pathway is insufficient to support our body's needs, making choline a vital nutrient.

Choline Plays Many Crucial Roles Making it an Essential Nutrient

Every cell in our body depends on choline as it makes up our cellular membrane by providing phosphatidylcholine (PC) or structure to our cell walls.

A healthy cellular membrane means that the right things like nutrients are going into our cells. And that our cells are removing the bad stuff – making for healthy cells.

Choline also is used to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter or brain signaling chemical that is involved in learning, memory, and attention.

This neurotransmitter also plays a role in digestion by signally the production of digestive enzymes. Are you taking digestive enzymes?

Maybe you should increase your intake of choline-rich foods like eggs instead.

But most importantly, choline is used to make betaine, a compound that helps to recycle homocysteine in the process known as methylation.

Whew – what does that mean? Methylation is a significant pathway in our bodies that produces SAMe. And SAMe supports the enzyme histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT), which helps to breakdown histamine.

How Can Choline Reduce Histamine Intolerance Symptoms?

The breakdown of histamine, especially the histamine produced by our bodies, depends on methylation and folate.

Folate and vitamin B2 are vital nutrients in methylation that provide SAMe and support for histamine N-Methyltransferase (HNMT), which helps break down histamine.

However, the body can also get SAMe from recycling homocysteine, which depends on choline, reducing the need for folate.

Reducing the need for folate is even more critical if you have genetic variants in folate like MTHFD1. Research shows that if you have a variant in MTHFD1, you will have an increased need for choline.

How does choline help to recycle homocysteine? Choline can be converted to betaine, which acts as a methyl donor promoting the recycling of homocysteine.

Recycling homocysteine not only produces more SAMe, it also reduces homocysteine levels which has been shown to be pro-inflammatory.

By providing support for HNMT, the histamine produced by your body is broken down and eliminated, reducing histamine levels.

You can enjoy that glass of wine with pizza and not have to worry about getting a nasty skin rash or headache a few hours later.

Whereas choline is converted to betaine, betaine is also found in many different foods. Some of the richest sources of betaine are beets, quinoa, wheat germ, and spinach.

By providing choline and betaine in your diet, you can support histamine's healthy breakdown reducing symptoms of histamine intolerance.

Can a Deficiency in Choline Increase Histamine Intolerance Symptoms?

Histamine intolerance is becoming increasingly common and is often seen with autoimmune conditions, poor gut health, and allergies.

Fluoroquinolone toxicity or other chronic conditions like Lyme disease and mold toxicity can also increase the likelihood of histamine intolerance.

This is because histamine is one of the key players in our immune system response to toxins, bacteria, and viruses.

Symptoms of histamine intolerance can significantly vary as histamine plays so many different roles from the production of stomach acid, hormonal balance, brain health, and of course, our immune system.

Even our mental health is affected by high histamine levels, leading to anxiety and lack of focus. Because choline plays a crucial role in support of methylation and the production of the enzyme, histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT), a deficiency may increase your histamine levels.

Since we also get histamine from our diet, your high levels of histamine will increase your intolerance to foods rich in histamines like preserved meats and fermented foods.

Bodybio PC – Phospholipid Complex

Increased Bioavailability: Most phosphatidylcholines in the market are lecithin packed in oil, which inhibits absorption. BodyBio PC is a pure liposomal phospholipid complex — avoids digestive breakup by forming liposomes; the pure phospholipids are not broken apart and are instantly utilized, re-building every cell in your body.

Get 15% off of professional-grade supplement by signing up for my Fullscript account.

But What are Signs that You Might be Deficient in Choline?

Since choline is every cell of our bodies, symptoms can be extremely varied. One of key symptoms is increased fat in the liver.

How do you know if you have a “fatty liver”? The best way to find out is to make sure that you have a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel that looks your liver enzymes either done by your doctor or through functional medicine practitioner.

Other Symptoms of Choline Deficiency

Muscle Damage
Nerve Dysfunction
Poor Digestion
Gallbladder Dysfunction
Increased Anxiety
Glutamate Intolerance
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Elevated Liver Enzymes
High Homocysteine Levels
Mental Health – High Anxiety

One of the most overlook roles of choline is acetylcholine production, which in turn reduces glutamate “spikes”, which can increase anxiety.

One study found that women who had higher choline intake also had the lowest anxiety levels. This is also extremely important if you have genetic variants in GAD1 – glutamate metabolism.

What Foods Are Rich in Choline that Can Reduce Histamine Intolerance?

There is no doubt that when I went to look up foods that are high in choline, it seemed like there was quite a bit of confusion. One thing is for sure is that eggs and liver are the highest in choline. But who likes liver?

If you are histamine intolerant, remember that egg whites are a histamine liberator and can increase histamine levels. Egg yolks on the other hand, are not high in histamine and is where you will find choline.

Other foods high in choline are:

Beef Liver
Wheat Germ
Eggs
Salmon
Shrimp
Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli

Good sources of betaine (another form of choline) are quinoa, beets, and wheat germ. Betaine is used in the process known as methylation which helps to support HNMT and reduce histamine intolerance symptoms.

Are there Genomics or Genetics That Increase Your Need for Choline?

Our body makes choline through a very complicated pathway in the liver that depends on the enzyme phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase or PEMT.

Having a genetic variant or reduced PEMT enzyme can increase your need for choline from your diet.

Some studies have shown that 80% of women who were homozygous for this variant showed signs of choline depletion – liver and muscle dysfunction. Research does show that having variants in folate like MTHFD1 will increase your need for choline as folate will less available to promote methylation.

Other variants in methylation impact your need for choline, like MTHFR, MTR, MTRR, and MAT1, which will also increase your demand for additional choline. How do you know if you have these variants?

Learn More About My Nutrigenomics Programs

Should You Supplement with Choline?

The best way to safely supplement with choline is to incorporate lecithin into your diet. You will benefit the most from using an organic sunflower or soy lecithin blending into a smoothie. You can also use in salad dressings as an emulsifier. My favorite organic sunflower lecithin is this one.

Using lecithin instead of supplementing with choline, you will lower the risk of forming too much trimethylamine -N-oxide (TMAO). TMAO is a natural compound that has known to increase cardiovascular disease risk.

However, if you want to supplement with choline, it is vital to use the right form depending on your needs. For instance, betaine or trimethylglycine (TMG) is very helpful for promoting methylation and reducing histamine intolerance.

Rather than supplement with betaine (TMG) alone, I recommend that you look for betaine or TMG in a methylation support product like this one.

Phosphatidylcholine is another form of choline that has been shown to benefit gallbladder health, fat digestion, and fatty liver conditions. Lecithin contains phosphatidylcholine, so you should get what you need from lecithin.

However, if you choose to supplement with capsules, then I recommend BodyBio PC, which has three phospholipids types making it more beneficial.

For brain and nerve health, especially if you struggle with fluoroquinonal toxicity, I recommend the form known as alpha-GPC. The neurotransmitter acetylcholine is produced from this form of choline and supports brain and gut health.

You can receive 15% off the recommended supplements by signing up for my FullScript account on these products.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

References:

Could Your Allergies Be A Food Sensitivity or Intolerance?

by Eileen Schutte | May 1, 2020 | Food Sensitivities Intolerances, Histamine Intolerance

nWe often blame our sniffling, sneezing, and watery eyes on those spring flowers, budding trees, and of course, grasses. But for some of us, we have these allergic reactions year-round – can’t blame that on spring flowers and the budding trees.

Maybe it is not an allergy to something in our environment but to something that we have eaten. That skin rash or sneezing after we ate something could be a food allergy. Or, it could a food intolerance.

So, if you are not getting a response from taking medications like an antihistamine, your symptoms might from a food allergy or food intolerance.

But is there a difference between food allergies and food intolerances?

What is a Food Allergy?

Most food allergies are followed with an immediate response and involve skin rashes, swollen lips, and/or tongue and in some cases stuffy nose. They are also not “dose-dependent”; in other words, you only need to eat a bite to get a reaction.

You will have a higher chance of having a food allergy if you have environmental allergies as there is cross-reaction with environmental allergens and certain foods.

So, if you are allergic to ragweed, there is a high probability that you will be allergic to cucumbers. Get my guide to see if your environmental allergies might be related to food allergies.

Get My Guide to Cross Reactivity - Foods & Enviromental Allergens

How can you tell if you have a food allergy? Well, the immediate reaction is the first clue. Eat a bite of an apple, get swollen lips, there is a good chance you are allergic to apples.

You can be tested for food allergies using a skin prick test but it is very inaccurate. Blood or serum tests for food allergies are also highly inaccurate.

If you are going to test for food allergies, make sure that the test is testing for what is referred to as the IgE response, not IgG response. How do you know? Check with the lab or the practitioner that you are working with.

Most of the inexpensive and common lab testing for food sensitivities only test for IgG response which is very inaccurate. Testing for food sensitivities is completely different than testing for food allergies. Testing for food sensitivities tests for reactions to the sugars in food while testing for food allergies tests for the proteins in food.

Book Your FREE 15 min. Discovery Chat!

Are Food Sensitivities the Same as Food Allergies?

In a nutshell, no. First, food sensitivities are dosage-dependent and secondly, the reaction is delayed. So that omelet with 3 eggs may take until the evening to get a response.

Food sensitivity reactions are usually constipation, diarrhea, headaches, joint pain, and brain fog versus the runny nose or sniffles.

The most accurate food sensitivity testing is MRT from Oxford Labs. Why? Because they test multiple immune responses to 170 foods and chemicals. The MRT test is one of the few lab tests that tests for chemicals; some of these chemicals relate to food intolerances like tyramine (think red wine).

Tyramine is a also a close “cousin” to histamine; if you are sensitive to tyramine most likely you are also histamine intolerant. By the way, both share the genes that help to degrade them.

But What About Food Intolerances?

The most common food intolerance that causes allergic reaction in some people is histamine intolerance.

Most food intolerances are caused by lack of an enzyme or poor gut health (poor microbiome) which supports the breakdown of common food chemicals like histamine and say lactose from dairy products.

Histamine is found the highest in fermented foods, preserved meats, cheese, canned fish and alcoholic beverages. For some people they will react with sneezing and sniffling after they consume enough histamine rich foods.

Others will react with headaches, migraines, GERD or heartburn, and low blood pressure (some will have high blood pressure depending on their genes).

Almost all food intolerances are related to genomics – nutrigenomics including histamine, lactose, and tryamine. Certain gene variants will reduce the enzyme function that breakdown food chemicals like histamine, lactose, sulfur, and tyramine. Other genes will promote histamine production making it harder to balance histamine.

Food intolerance testing – it is very difficult to test for food intolerances and usually a trial and error. A nutrigenomics test is a great first step as this takes a great deal of work out of the process.

Because histamine intolerance originates in the gut and the predominant enzymes that degrades histamine in mostly produced in our gut, testing for intestinal permeability and the DAO enzyme is currently the most accurate way to test for histamine intolerance. The best test for this the Advanced Intestinal Barrier Assessment Test by Precision Point.

Advanced Intestinal Barrier Assessment Package

Learn More

Ever Notice that We Get Allergies as We Get Older?

Maybe it is really is histamine intolerance? Ever notice those “allergies” get worse as we get older? There might be a connection here.

As we get older, our digestion can become impaired. For one, we produce less gastric acid as we get older which means we don’t absorb nutrients from our or breakdown food very well.

It doesn’t help that we also start taking digestive aids like proton pump inhibitors like Prilosec or H2 blockers (Zantac); both of which lower stomach acid reducing the breakdown of foods.

This also leads to partially broken-down food in our digestive system which can feed opportunistic bacteria like yeast in our gut.

Managing histamine levels depends on a healthy gut, balanced microbiota, and nutrients like vitamin B6. It has been shown that some bacteria actually produce histamine and if you have an overgrowth this will make your more histamine intolerant.

Nutrients like vitamin B6 helps us to produce the enzymes known as diamine oxidase (DAO). DAO helps to block the absorption of too much histamine and with a reduced function of DAO, it can lead to intolerance.

Managing histamine intolerance can be a challenge but you can reduce your symptoms with natural antihistamine or use dietary supplements that contain quercetin like Thorne's Quercetin Phytosome.

Nutrigenomics & Histamine Intolerance

For me, my discovery of my histamine intolerance was just using a food journal and trying to connect the dots to my migraines.

After a while, I realized that the combination of red wine, pizza was sure to trigger for migraine the next day. All foods are high in histamine even the tomato sauce.

After getting my first genomic test it became crystal clear why had such a tendency towards histamine intolerance. I had many variants in the pathway that helps to breakdown histamine or block absorption of histamine from food.

Histamine intolerance is related to gene variants in, MTHFR, vitamin B6, HNMT, COMT, and DAO. And, if you have a reduced function in methylation, this also can impact your metabolism of histamine

Book Your FREE 15 min. Discovery Chat!