Nature provides all kinds of natural antihistamine support. This can be fantastic news for people who are looking for natural ways to address Histamine Intolerance. Studies have shown that nature, once again provides those remedies. Let’s take a look at some of the most widely used vitamins, minerals, enzymes and how they might be worth considering when you struggle with histamine intolerance.

Quercetin:

When you intake Quercetin, you are helping your body to calm the inflammation. It also blocks the releases of histamine from your mast cells acting like an antihistamine. Quercetin has strong antioxidant activity and has been shown to support immune health by mediating the release of inflammatory compounds including leukotrienes and prostaglandins. Quercetin is known for its ability to stabilize mast cells, diminishing the release of histamine, the compound known to cause symptoms related to histamine intolerance. Found in my histamine support pack

DAO™

DAO is a patented enzyme formula containing diamine oxidase (DAO)—the main enzyme responsible for the degradation of ingested histamine. This enzyme has been clinically tested and found to break down food-derived histamine in the digestive tract. DAO is not absorbed and does not have systemic activity. Found in my histamine support pack

Stinging Nettles Leaf Extract–

Stinging nettles leaf is a plant that has been shown to balance immune response, specifically in the airways and nasal passages- it is a natural antihistamine. Studies have shown that the extract of stinging nettles leaf balances a variety of inflammatory activities that affect respiratory health. You can find Stinging nettles leaf in my histamine support pack.

N-acetyl cysteine

N-acetyl cysteine is an important supplement for histamine intolerance, as it has shown to be responsible for potentiating inhibitory effects of mast cells on histamine release. In other words, N-acetyl cysteine acts as an assistant for maximizing the effect of other supplements that are used to reduce histamine release. This assistance can produce profound effects, as an increased release of histamine from mast cells is one of the primary causes of histamine intolerance, thus indicating that N-acetyl cysteine can relieve symptoms by targeting the root cause of histamine intolerance, rather than the symptom itself.

Proteolytic enzymes-

Proteolytic enzymes are necessary for breaking down large proteins into smaller ones. Proteolytic enzyme support can help degrade histamine. Proteolytic enzymes also help aid in the absorption of protein, calcium, vitamin B12 and iron- all cofactors needed to make the DAO enzyme. Proteolytic enzymes can reduce circulating allergenic protein complexes. It’s these protein complexes that are associated the allergic reactions seen in histamine intolerance. This is an often overlooked aspect of treating histamine intolerance and it’s one of the reasons I have included the addition of proteolytics in my histamine support pack.

Omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Diamine oxidase (the enzyme that breaks down histamine) is continuously released from the intestinal mucosa and carried to the circulation by the lymphatics. Triglycerides and fatty acids like the ones seen in fish oil and other longer chain fatty acids increased diamine oxidase in the intestinal lymph. While this was an observational study, it does bring to light another benefit of taking long chain fatty acids.

Zinc–

Zinc actually prevent the release of histamine from mast cells, a key component of any natural antihistamine. Zinc is also needed for DAO function. Without enough zinc, your body simply can’t keep up with the demand of DAO it needs. Zinc deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of asthma, which is also linked to histamine reaction. Zinc supplementation is associated with the reduction in allergic asthma symptoms and the normalization of immune response. Zinc is important!

B6- B6 is another co-factor for producing diamine oxidase production, vitamin B6 like zinc has been shown to be helpful.

Probiotics-

There is evidence that B. Longum aids in breaking down histamine and ammonia, as well as increasing levels of butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid responsible for protecting the gut wall. another powerful probiotic is found in the lactobacillus species. L. Plantarum. This good bacteria has frequently been mentioned as one of the best strains of probiotic bacteria for combating histamine issues

Other Vitamin and Minerals That Help Improve DAO Enzyme Activity.

If you take a look at this illustration, you will notice that at the very top we have histamine, histamine is broken down by HNMT on the left and DAO on the right (Blue Circles)

In green letters you are going to see SAMe on the left and Iron, B6, B12, copper and vitamin C on the right. What this means is that if you are deficient in any of these vitamin cofactors, the DAO enzyme or HNMT enzyme won’t work properly, in turn, histamine will not be broken down and ultimately, you will experience excess histamine symptoms. As a Functional medicine practitioner, it becomes important to investigate why a person may have low levels of these vitamins and mineral.

So things I want you to consider, if you are woman, and you have a heavy menstrual cycle (hormone imbalances, fibroids, endometriosis,) there is a good change you are iron deficient or iron anemic. Get your iron and ferritin levels checked. We know that hormonal imbalances can intensify histamine intolerance.

Other considerations are things like hemorrhoids, Ulcers, H.pylori infection, use of proton pump inhibitors, use of birth control pills. These health problems and medications increase likelihood of B12, B6, and vitamin C deficiencies. If you have been pounding down zinc (more than 30-60mg per day) like many patients do when they have leaky gut issues, you might also be low in copper. So again these are all things your Functional Medicine Doctor should start considering.

Signs and symptoms of copper deficiency.

Fatigue and Weakness
Frequent Sickness
Weak and Brittle Bones
Problems With Memory and Learning
Difficulties Walking
Sensitivity to Cold
Pale Skin
Premature Gray Hair

Boosting Your DAO Enzyme Levels- Here’s What You Need To Know…

It would be great if all you needed to do was take some DAO enzyme supplements and call it a day. Unfortunately, it’s a tad more complicated than that. Heres what you need to know. Taking DAO supplements will increase your DAO levels in your digestive tract and enhance histamine breakdown from anything that’s eaten, but it will not stop the histamine that is being produced outside the GI tract.

This is why you need to address the other factors behind Histamine intolerance and MCAS. Taking DAO supplements like HistDAO and Natural D- Hist is a great place to start…. But if you are someone who tried these before and they “didn’t work” keep in mind that there are many things filling up the histamine bucket.

Variety of Food Is Essential

Low histamine diets, while very helpful in the beginning stages of treatment, can cause problems down the road. Too restrictive for too long of a period of time and you will not be getting many of these critical vitamins and minerals needed for optimal immune response, and breakdown of histamine.

With this in mind, you can see why a variety in your diet is so important for aiding the relieve of your histamine intolerance symptoms. Too few foods, and you won’t have enough of these important nutrients that are intricately involved in the management of immune responses and the production, breakdown and metabolism of histamine.

Working with a doctor who specializes in functional medicine and nutrition is the easiest way to ensure you are not exacerbating any nutrient deficiencies. With the right testing, your functional medicine doctor can help you to determine the specific nutrients your body is lacking, which you can then target through diet and supplementation.

It’s All So Confusing, Where Do I Start?

There are many vitamins and supplements that can help those suffering with histamine intolerance and it can be confusing on knowing where to start. This is why I put together the histamine support pack. You can learn more about why I chose these supplements and decided to offer them in a support protocol. Not only will you save money with the support pack, the histamine support pack was deliberately and carefully designed to address several key areas of histamine intolerance.

Earlier this week I did a post on Histamine intolerance and SIBO I also then did a video covering other important concepts related to histamine intolerance and gut health.

Supplements That Help Histamine Intolerance and MCAS

Other Vitamin and Minerals That Help Improve DAO Enzyme Activity.

Signs and symptoms of copper deficiency.

Boosting Your DAO Enzyme Levels- Here’s What You Need To Know…

Variety of Food Is Essential

It’s All So Confusing, Where Do I Start?

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