Drinking plenty of water every day is essential for all bodily functions, including the regulation of histamine levels. Water does aid in the removal of histamines from the body as more that 95% of excess histamines are removed from the body through the urine.
Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine, which means it can lower histamine levels and mitigate allergic reactions and symptoms. Consume plenty of Vitamin C rich foods, like tropical fruits, citrus fruits, broccoli and cauliflower, and berries.
These include: Flushing, difficulty regulating body temperature, sudden excessive sweating. Hives, rashes, swelling, itchy skin, eczema. Racing heart, palpitations, arrhythmia.
Second- and third-generation antihistamines are less likely to cause drowsiness. Of these, cetirizine works the fastest but has a higher chance of making you feel drowsy. Fexofenadine is the least drowsy option.
Is coffee an antihistamine? No, coffee is not an antihistamine, but it's generally considered to not be good for those with histamine intolerance.
Histamines Unleashed
When they leave the mast cells, histamines boost blood flow in the area of your body the allergen affected. This causes inflammation, which lets other chemicals from your immune system step in to do repair work. Histamines then dock at special places called "receptors" in your body.
Histamine is a signaling molecule, sending messages between cells. It tells stomach cells to make stomach acid. And it helps our brain stay awake.
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.
Helps Fight Allergies: Red Apples
An apple a day keeps the allergist away. Red produce like apples contains a compound called quercetin. This compound is responsible for the red color and works as a natural antihistamine in your body.
So, water actually has the power to regulate your histamine levels. This does not mean drinking water can act to prevent or treat an allergic reaction, but it's good to know that avoiding dehydration by drinking water will help to maintain normal histamine activity.
Histamine levels are another potent downstream target. Allergic symptoms exacerbate during nighttime and plasma histamine levels exhibit nocturnal peaks.
Coffee contains histamines in low amounts, but for people who are sensitive to them, it contains plenty to get a reaction out of them. While the natural histamine content in coffee is low, some coffee processes can increase histamine levels.
High levels of histamine can also trigger digestive symptoms like bloating [7], and diarrhea [8], heart rate changes or palpitations [9], low blood pressure [10], and headaches [11].
Researchers from McMaster University and Queen's University have discovered a gut bacterial 'super-producer' of histamine that can cause pain flare-ups in some patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Histamine intolerance is more common in people with underlying digestive issues. Conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, IBS, and SIBO increase the risk of histamine intolerance. There is minimal information on the actual incidence of HIT. Its correlation with other health issues is emerging.
High Histamine Foods
Fruit: Citrus fruits, strawberries, bananas, pineapple, pears. Vegetables: Eggplant, avocado, tomatoes, olives, beans. Dairy: Cheese, yogurt, processed cheese.
When you're all stressed out, your body releases hormones and other chemicals, including histamine, the powerful chemical that leads to allergy symptoms. While stress doesn't actually cause allergies, it can make an allergic reaction worse by increasing the histamine in your bloodstream.
Eggs are low in histamines, this makes them ideal for the low-histamine diet. Chickpeas, peanuts, and lentils have been found to have low concentrations of histamines and may be safely consumed in a low-histamine diet.
If you take an antihistamine for allergies, you may be at risk of drowsiness if you drink alcohol. Benadryl generally has the highest risk since it can cause more sedation than other antihistamines. In most cases, this combination should be avoided, especially in adults over 60 years old.
Avocados are naturally very high in histamine and such high levels can be problematic for people with histamine intolerance. If you suspect that you may have histamine intolerance, it is best to avoid foods high in histamine, such as avocados.
Chocolate itself is relatively low histamine; however, it may act as a histamine liberator. In other words, it triggers the release of the body's existing histamine. Chocolate also contains other biogenic amines, tyramine and phenylethylamine, which slow degradation of histamine.