To clear histamine from your body, focus on hydration, a low-histamine diet (fresh foods, avoiding fermented/aged items, alcohol, certain fruits/nuts), and supporting the enzyme DAO with nutrients like B vitamins, copper, and zinc, while considering natural antihistamines like quercetin or medications like antihistamines to manage symptoms. Staying hydrated helps flush it out via urine, and diet is key for reducing intake, notes Johns Hopkins Medicine, says WebMD, according to the BBC Good Food.
Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a very common and well-known nutrient to strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation. Vitamin C is also required to produce the necessary enzymes for the process of histamine breakdown, making it a vital anti-histamine nutrient.
Take supplements. Some research suggests that copper, vitamin B6, and vitamin C can help lower histamine levels. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet or starting supplements. They can help you choose foods, strategies, and supplements that won't interfere with other health conditions or medications.
Many people believe they experience a “histamine dump.” This phenomenon usually happens at night when your body releases a sudden surge of histamine. A histamine dump can interrupt your sleep and cause headaches, flushing, itching, anxiety, and a racing heart.
For example, respiratory symptoms associated with histamine receptor intolerance include rhinorrhea, rhinitis, nasal congestion, dyspnea, and sneezing [19,21]. Histamine receptors are present in the skin; therefore, there will be skin manifestations, including pruritis, flushing, urticaria, dermatitis, and swelling.
Medical Conditions
Autoimmune disorders affect immune system function, which might lead to more histamine being released (11). Another condition causing elevated histamine levels is mastocytosis, rare disorder involving abnormal mast cell growth—the cells that make and store histamine (12).
Histamine-induced anxiety can feel like restlessness, a racing heart, palpitations, or a sense of unease.
Histamine levels are another potent downstream target. Allergic symptoms exacerbate during nighttime and plasma histamine levels exhibit nocturnal peaks. In mastocytosis patients, peak levels of plasma histamine were observed in the early morning with the lowest in the afternoon (19).
Dysbiosis, leaky gut, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can impair DAO production and lead to histamine buildup. Nutrient Deficiencies: DAO enzyme function depends on certain nutrients, particularly vitamin B6, copper, and vitamin C. Deficiencies in these nutrients can exacerbate histamine intolerance.
Here are some foods that are low in histamine:
Non-citrus fruits like apples, blueberries, mangoes, peaches, pomegranates, and more. Avoid grapefruit, lemon, lime, and orange. Non-dairy milk like almond, coconut, or hemp. Fresh vegetables; avoid tomato, avocado, eggplant, squash, and spinach.
People with mastocytosis have an increased risk of developing a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction. This is known as anaphylaxis. The increased risk of anaphylaxis is caused by the abnormally high number of mast cells and their potential to release large amounts of histamine into the blood.
So if you suffer from histamine intolerance, you should prefer calmer sports such as strength training, Pilates or yoga. Interesting fact: Cardio training releases histamine and other inflammation substances, but the effect only takes temporary (up to 72 hours).
Vitamin B6 & copper: important for the enzymatic breakdown of histamine. Diamine oxidase (DAO) is a copper-containing enzyme that breaks down histamine and requires vitamin B6 to do so. A vitamin B6 deficiency can reduce DAO activity, while a copper deficiency reduces the production of the enzyme.
Physiological Concentrations of Zinc inhibit the Release of Histamine from Human Basophils and Lung Mast Cells.
High histamine levels are found in food such as tuna, mackerel, anchovy, spinach, wine, cheese, sausage and fermented foods2,18.
What foods or vitamins act as natural antihistamines? Vitamin C, quercetin-rich fruits (like apples, onions, and elderberries), turmeric (curcumin), celery, and parsley all have histamine-modulating properties.
Histamine intolerance (HIT) is assumed to be due to a deficiency of the gastrointestinal (GI) enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) and, therefore, the food component histamine not being degraded and/or absorbed properly within the GI tract.
Under normal circumstances your GP should be able to make a diagnosis, or send you to the right medical department that could investigate further.
A Low Histamine Diet
This diet reduces foods that are known to be higher in histamine. These include: Avocado.
Excess histamine can cause a variety of different symptoms which very often mimic allergic reactions. The most common symptoms are rashes (e.g. hives), itching, flushing, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), indigestion, breathlessness, palpitations, migraines, dizziness, anxiety/panic, joint aches and nasal congestion.
How to Block Nighttime Histamine Release
If you have any of the following conditions, you should talk to your healthcare provider first before taking antihistamines: Diabetes. Enlarged prostate or problems passing pee (urinary retention). Epilepsy.
Skin Reactions Related to Anxiety and Panic Attacks
These reactions happen when normal blood vessels expand into widened vessels as a direct response to the release of histamine.
Waking up at 3 a.m. with itching, anxiety, or a racing heart? You may be experiencing a histamine dump at night — a sudden surge of histamine that can jolt you awake, disrupt your sleep, and leave you feeling drained the next day.
Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are known for their potential to support immune function and help manage inflammation. Using 3-5 grams of combined EPA and DHA daily may help manage symptoms associated with histamine overload.