The post Serum DAO Helps Diagnose Histamine Intolerance appeared first on The Nutrition Supplement Dietitian.

Other common symptoms are gastric hypersecretion manifested with stomach pain (especially when eating), diarrhea, nausea and migraines.

Two Formulations of Histamine Digest Are  Available on my Website Now:
Original Histamine Digest and Histamine Digest PureMAX

How do you know which DAO supplement is best?

Histamine Digest PureMAX is designed for those with multiple sensitivities and higher Diamine Oxidase (DAO) needs. The Histamine Digest PureMAX capsule only contains DAO; it does not contain Vitamin C or Catalase enzyme (found in the regular Histamine Digest). Very sensitive individuals who react to these additional ingredients can benefit from Histamine Digest PureMAX.

While the vast majority of my clients do very well with the original Histamine Digest, having the pure form of DAO (PureMAX) is a great option.

Comparing Histamine Digest and Histamine Digest PureMAX

Histamine Digest

• 30,000 HDU/4.2 mg  (Histamine Digesting Units)
• Contains Vitamin C and Catalase (breaks down hydrogen peroxide).
• Other ingredients: microcrystalline cellulose, vegetarian capsule (hypromellose, gellan gum), silicon dioxide (silica)
• 60 or 120 count

Histamine Digest PureMAX

• 40,000 HDU/4.8 mg (Histamine Digesting Units)
• Now with 40,000 HDU, due to advancements in the extraction and manufacturing process.
• Other ingredients: microcrystalline cellulose, vegetarian capsule (hypromellose, gellan gum)
• 60 count

Histamine Digest and Histamine Digest PureMAX
DO NOT contain: wheat, gluten, yeast, soy, dairy products, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, or artificial preservatives.

Research Shows Diamine Oxidase Supplementation Improves Symptoms in Patients with Histamine Intolerance 

“All symptoms improved significantly during the [4 week] oral supplementation of DAO. During the follow-up period, without DAO supplementation, the symptoms sum scores increased again. The symptom intensity score was reduced for all symptoms. We have demonstrated, a significant reduction of every HIT-related symptom and its intensity due to DAO oral supplements.” — Read the full study.

A second study also concluded that people who exhibited a histamine intolerance, the majority of whom had lower serum DAO levels, benefited from DAO supplementation.

Excerpt:

Intolerance to various foods, excluding bona fide coeliac disease and lactose intolerance, represents a growing cause of patient visits to allergy clinics. Histamine intolerance is a long-known, multifaceted clinical condition triggered by histamine-rich foods and alcohol and/or by drugs that liberate histamine or block diamine oxidase (DAO), the main enzyme involved in the metabolism of ingested histamine. Histamine limitation diets impose complex, non-standardized restrictions that may severely impact the quality of life of patients.

We found that 10 out of 14 patients had serum DAO activity<10 U/mL, which was the threshold suggested as a cutoff for probable histamine intolerance.

Moreover, 13 out of 14 patients subjectively reported a benefit in at least one of the disturbances related to food intolerances following diamine oxidase supplementation.

Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2016 Mar;29(1):105-11. doi: 10.1177/0394632015617170. Epub 2015 Nov 16., Manzotti G, Breda D, Di Gioacchino M, Burastero SE

Doesn’t the Body Make DAO Naturally?
Yes, your body naturally makes the DAO enzyme in your intestinal mucosa cells.

However, you can have low DAO enzyme activity for many reasons, including poor gut health and inflammatory GI diseases that affect the integrity of the gut lining.

Typically as we age, we also naturally make less DAO.

Both Histamine Digest and Histamine Digest PureMAX DAO supplements are designed to boost DAO levels in the body.

The post Histamine Digest PureMAX Offers Another Choice for Histamine Clearance!! appeared first on The Nutrition Supplement Dietitian.

Histamine Intolerance is Not the Same as Allergy! Let Me Tell You Why!

As an integrative and functional nutritionist with special expertise in Histamine Intolerance, I’d like to tell you about Histamine Intolerance and clear up misconceptions.

What is Histamine Intolerance? What are Histamines? What are Mast Cells?

Histamine Intolerance is when there is an imbalance in the amount of accumulated histamine in your body as compared with your body’s capacity to break it down. Histamine Intolerance is also known as HIT. Histamines are chemicals largely produced by a type of white blood cells called mast cells.

Histamines are a key part of your immune system and have a vital role in digestion, sleep, and immune defense. Mast cells have the important job of storing and releasing histamines, however, they sometimes they overreact. When you have a disequilibrium of histamines in your body, it can unleash a cascade of symptoms.

(Mast Cell Activation Syndrome also known as MCAS, is an inappropriate release of ALL mast cell mediators, histamines being just one among them. Histamine Intolerance falls within the larger category of MCAS.)

Histamine Intolerance symptoms are often delayed (unlike allergies), and may take time to manifest. As histamines travel throughout the body through the bloodstream, virtually any part of the body can present with symptoms, from runny nose and itchy eyes, to diarrhea and gastric reflux, to migraine headaches and sleep disorders, to heart arrhythmias and high or low blood pressure, to painful menstrual periods and more!

Clearing Up the Confusion Between Histamine Intolerance and Allergy

One reason for the confusion and difficult diagnosis is that many common symptoms of Histamine Intolerance resemble common allergy symptoms. Histamine Intolerance and some allergic reactions may present similarly. That’s because many allergy symptoms are the result of histamine activity!

As I explain later in this post, tests done by the allergy MD (immunologist) look for a response to a particular antibody and in Histamine Intolerance there is no antibody response!

So when the doctor says, “you are not allergic to XYZ,” it doesn’t mean that your reaction to XYZ isn’t real. It just may be something else, like Histamine Intolerance. which should be explored.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, experts estimate that about 1 in 100 people have Histamine Intolerance. However, since Histamine Intolerance symptoms present differently in each person, the diagnosis of Histamine Intolerance is easily missed. It’s likely that Histamine Intolerance is even more common  than 1/100 people.

What are Common Symptoms of Histamine Intolerance?

Symptoms of Histamine Intolerance include:

• Symptoms similar to allergies: runny nose, nose congestion, red and itchy eyes, itchy skin, hives, eczema, asthma, flushing
• Digestive Challenges: diarrhea, nausea, bloating, cramps, gastric reflux
• Nervous System: migraine headaches, fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, sleep disorders
• Cardiovascular Impacts: heart arrhythmia, low blood pressure, high blood pressure
• Women’s Health: painful, heavy menstrual periods

At first glance, many of these symptoms might not appear to be related, but I look for patterns and find that they often are related!

What is a True Allergy (IgE mediated)?
When you go to the allergy doctor, he or she tests for true allergies (IgE mediated). Allergy tests typically look for specific antibodies your immune system produces when it encounters a trigger.

When IgE allergy antibodies are the cause of the reaction to a food, for example, the immune system typically responds almost immediately. The signs and symptoms usually occur within minutes of ingestion, making it much easier to identify the trigger.  (An example of this is a peanut allergy.)

Symptoms may include itchy watery eyes, sneezing, runny nose, hives, rashness or redness of the skin, vomiting and in more severe reactions, anaphylaxis.

Why Allergy Tests Don’t Diagnose Histamine Intolerance (HIT)
Even though symptoms of Histamine Intolerance may be similar to allergy symptoms, Histamine Intolerance doesn’t involve antibodies so they are not picked up on the allergy tests.

Also, the onset of symptoms from Histamine Intolerance is usually delayed…hours, sometimes even days, making it much more challenging to identify the triggers.

What is the Histamine “Bucket”?
The histamine bucket refers to each individual’s capacity to handle histamine. When your bucket fills and/or doesn’t drain sufficiently, and then overflows, a person can become symptomatic.

Think of a bucket that’s overflowing or a bathtub that’s not emptying fast enough so the water spills onto the floor, causing a problem. Histamine Intolerance is about keeping histamines in balance. Histamine Intolerance is a functional imbalance.

Histamine Intolerance is when the cumulative amount of histamines in your body (both what you take in through food and what your body produces) is out of balance with your body’s ability to break down histamines. Since there are many variables that increases histamines, and it’s a cumulative effect, what might trigger you one day (think a particular food), may not trigger you another day!

What Are Some of the Causes of Histamine Intolerance?

Food Triggers. (Certain foods can trigger a histamine reaction in more than one way.)

1. Some foods contain high levels of histamines,
2. Some foods cause histamine to be released within the body,
3. Other foods block the enzyme DAO. DAO is the enzyme that degrades or breaks down histamine in the gut.

Alcohol (a big trigger), leftover foods, aged cheeses, fermented products, smoked fish, cured foods, overripe fruit, deli meats, fish (unless it’s extremely fresh), are foods high in histamine and can overfill your the histamine “bucket.”

Medication Triggers. Some medications release histamine or inhibit the DAO enzyme that degrades histamine. These include some antibiotics, anesthetics, opioids, aspirin, NSAIDS, excipients, hormones.

Poor Gut Health. Underlying gut issues and infections can also play a role in causing Histamine Intolerance.

Unhealthy Lifestyle. Stress, poor sleep, smoking all contribute to Histamine Intolerance.

Environmental Triggers. Pollen dust, mold animal dander, pesticides, smog, pigments in makeup, perfumes, radiographic dyes can all trigger histamine release.

Genetic Predisposition. There can be a genetic predisposition to Histamine Intolerance, in particular to have less potential of making the histamine degrading enzyme, DAO.

I do the “detective” work to help identify and remove your personal triggers of histamine intolerance.

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Nutrition Tools and Other Treatments for Histamine Intolerance: How to Bring the Histamine”Bucket” Back into Balance

• • Low Histamine Diet: Identifying and limiting triggers through a low-histamine diet and food diary can significantly reduce symptoms. I work with clients to reduce high histamine foods and eat a low histamine diet to keep the “bucket” from overflowing with too much histamines.
    I focus on limiting High Histamine Foods like alcoholic beverages, aged, fermented, cured and smoked products, without overly restricting the diet.But did you know that foods increase in histamine levels as they ripen (think overly ripe fruit), or sit in the refrigerator as leftovers, or sit in supermarket prepared food deli areas for a few days?  So the same food freshly made may not trigger a reaction, but it might trigger a reaction after sitting in your home refrigerator or in the store refrigerated section for two or three days! That said, a typically low histamine food can become a high histamine food (and trigger a reaction) when it’s less fresh, leaving the individual totally perplexed.In addition, packaged or processed foods may contain histamine-triggering food additives that would not be present in a homemade version or another brand of the same food. When I work with clients we look at the ingredients in detail to determine any suspect triggers.

• • Blood Test for Food and Food-Chemical Sensitivities: If reducing high histamine foods is not enough to relieve symptoms, I also offer testing to uncover hidden food sensitivities that may be contributing to your histamine release.Using the results of the test which identifies your triggers, I design a LEAP eating plan. LEAP is a custom anti-inflammatory eating plan and nutrition counseling program based on the Mediator Release Test (MRT). It is a scientifically based several phase diet that removes identified food and chemical triggers so your immune system can calm down, and then helps you reintroduce safe foods.

• • DAO Enzyme and Other Nutrition Supplements for Histamine Intolerance: Targeted nutrition supplements are a great tool for helping to stabilize the cells from releasing as much histamine, helping to keep the “bucket” below the “fill line.”In addition, there are supplements that support the two pathways that break down histamines in the body, helping to keep the histamine “bucket” from overflowing. The main pathway in the gut is DAO (Diamine oxidase) which can be taken as a supplement. The second pathway in the other parts of the body is HNMT which requires several nutrition cofactors to operate optimally.

• • Restore Gut Health for Histamine Intolerance: I work with clients to heal their gut lining and support a healthy, balanced, and diverse microbiome to maintain a healthy gut lining, reduce inflammation and keep histamine levels in check.

• • Changing Lifestyle Makes a Difference with Histamine Intolerance: We discuss ways to help manage stress, optimize sleep, and avoid smoking – all factors can aggravate your histamine response.

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Key Takeaways for Managing Histamine Intolerance

Histamine Intolerance (HIT) and allergy are commonly confused, but understanding the distinct players, such as DAO and HNMT enzymes and mast cells, is crucial. Unlike allergies, HIT is a functional imbalance where the histamine “bucket” overflows, leading to delayed symptoms. Standard allergy tests are ineffective for HIT.

• • Identify Your Own Histamine Intolerance Triggers: I work with clients to start learning their trigger foods that may fill their histamine “bucket.”  We start by keeping a food diary, and then may go on to an elimination diet, or get a food sensitivity test for deeper insights. I am a Certified LEAP Therapist (CLT) and Functional Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, trained to evaluate the MRT food sensitivity test and implement the immune calming diet.
• • Build a Stronger “Bucket” to Keep Your Histamines in Balance: Heal your gut lining, support your microbiome, and prioritize sleep and stress management to bolster your body’s natural histamine processing abilities.

• • Tailor Your Strategies for Keeping Histamine at a Good Level: The right tools for your “bucket” might include a low-histamine diet, DAO enzyme supplements, gut health supplements, and individual lifestyle adjustments. I work with clients to help them listen to your bodies and personalize strategies to find what works best for each individual.

How I Can Help You If You are Having Histamine Intolerance Symptoms

1. SHOP Top Recommended Supplements for Histamine Intolerance

• DAO,
• DAO PureMax
• Quercetin,
• Natural D-Hist,
• Megasporebiotic,
• Megasporebiotic Gummies,
• Vitamin C,
• Petadolex (especially for migraine symptoms).

2. Schedule an Appointment or MRT Food Sensitivity Test
Contact Me for Personalized Guidance on Managing Your Histamine Intolerance (HIT). Histamine Intolerance can present in many ways. It’s best to work with a healthcare practitioner like myself who is experienced and has a track record with Histamine Intolerance.

3. Learn More About My Approach to Managing Your Histamine Intolerance Symptoms

Take control of your histamine journey. Histamine Intolerance doesn’t have to control your life. By understanding your triggers, implementing the right changes, and adopting a holistic approach to your health, you can achieve balance and experience a life free from uncomfortable symptoms.

Remember, you’re not alone in this journey. As your certified LEAP Therapist and Functional Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I’m here to guide and support you every step of the way.  Ready to take control of your health and reclaim your life?

Contact me today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how LEAP and a personalized nutrition plan can help you manage your Histamine Intolerance (HIT) or Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).

The post Confused about Histamine Intolerance vs Allergy? appeared first on The Nutrition Supplement Dietitian.

Histamine, a natural compound that is a key factor in digestion, is an important neurotransmitter and an essential component of immunological protection. Unfortunately it can get out of balance for many resulting in any variety of symptoms .

People who have difficulty balancing histamine levels in their body or histamine intolerance (also known as HIT) might get annoying reactions like stuffy nose, red eyes, itchy skin or hives. Other common symptoms are gastric hypersecretion manifested with stomach pain (especially when eating), diarrhea, nausea and migraines.

Research supports that oral supplementation with the DAO (diamine oxidase), the enzyme that degrades food-derives histamine,  can improve symptoms in patients with histamine intolerance.

Research Shows Diamine Oxidase Supplementation Improves Symptoms in Patients with Histamine Intolerance

“All symptoms improved significantly during the [4 week] oral supplementation of DAO. During the follow-up period, without DAO supplementation, the symptoms sum scores increased again. The symptom intensity score was reduced for all symptoms. We have demonstrated, a significant reduction of every HIT-related symptom and its intensity due to DAO oral supplements.” — Read the full study.

A second study also concluded that people who exhibited a histamine intolerance, the majority of whom had lower serum DAO levels, benefited from DAO supplementation.

Excerpt:

Intolerance to various foods, excluding bona fide coeliac disease and lactose intolerance, represents a growing cause of patient visits to allergy clinics. Histamine intolerance is a long-known, multifaceted clinical condition triggered by histamine-rich foods and alcohol and/or by drugs that liberate histamine or block diamine oxidase (DAO), the main enzyme involved in the metabolism of ingested histamine. Histamine limitation diets impose complex, non-standardized restrictions that may severely impact the quality of life of patients.

We found that 10 out of 14 patients had serum DAO activity<10 U/mL, which was the threshold suggested as a cutoff for probable histamine intolerance.

Moreover, 13 out of 14 patients subjectively reported a benefit in at least one of the disturbances related to food intolerances following diamine oxidase supplementation.

Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2016 Mar;29(1):105-11. doi: 10.1177/0394632015617170. Epub 2015 Nov 16., Manzotti G, Breda D, Di Gioacchino M, Burastero SE

More About Histamine
Our bodies need histamine in balance. The two ways to maintain histamine balance are through histamine intake and histamine degradation and removal from the body.

The body gets rid of histamine through a chemical reaction that requires an enzyme called DAO (diamine oxidase). DAO is referred to as the histamine neutralizing enzyme. You naturally make the DAO enzyme in your intestinal mucosa cells.

However, you can have low DAO enzyme activity for many reasons, including poor gut health and inflammatory GI diseases that affect the integrity of the gut lining. (Typically, we also naturally make less DAO as we age.) The Umbrellux DAO supplement is designed to boost DAO levels in the body.

Several nutrient cofactors are also necessary to support the DAO pathway including iron, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, copper and Vitamin C.

A second pathway in the body’s tissues also degrades histamine — via the HNMT – Histamine N-Methyltransferase enzyme. The B vitamins, especially Vitamins B12, Folate and Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) are essential nutrient cofactors for the HNMT pathway.

The Histamine Cascade Sequence….From Mast Cells to an Out of Control Inflammatory Response

When there is a foreign intruder, the body first sends a chemical signal to a type of white blood cell called mast cells, to release histamines.

This is part of a natural, healthy inflammatory response that signals other chemicals from your immune system to step in to address the intruder and do repair work. However, when the onslaught of foreign intruders becomes chronic, (such as when there is a leaky gut barrier), the inflammatory response can get out of control and the release of histamines can overwhelm the body.

Read more about the science behind the histamine cascade.

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Mosquitos love me. If you want to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito, just sit next to me at a barbecue:)

Recently I made the discovery that Histamine Digest, a key histamine clearing enzyme (Diamine Oxidase), helps clear the itching and resolves the puffy bumps from my mosquito bites much more quickly.

After being bitten by a bunch of mosquitos, I started to itch and the bites swelled. I was extremely itchy and uncomfortable so after a day or so after being bitten by mosquitos I decided to see if taking Histamine Digest (DAO enzyme) would help. By the next day, my reaction to the mosquito bites had resolved to the point of my no longer thinking about them.

I’ve repeated this “experiment” several times and gotten the same results. On one occasion I got so many bites that I took a second Histamine Digest.

I work with many patients with an overactive histamine response. Several of them have also used Histamine Digest which has helped resolve their bug bites more quickly too.

It’s great to make this new discovery. But hopefully I won’t get poison ivy….I really don’t want to do another experiment.

The post Histamine Digest Relieves Mosquito Bites appeared first on The Nutrition Supplement Dietitian.

This graphic {credit: Histamine Digest (formerly Umbrellux DAO)} illustrates foods and beverages that either contain high amounts of histamines or trigger release of histamine.

You may be surprised that many healthy foods are included in this list, such as tomatoes, berries, avocados and fermented foods!

Histamines are not normally a problem unless your body has difficulty clearing them. There are two biochemical pathways that degrade histamine in the body. The histamine clearing pathway in the gut involves an enzyme called DAO (or Diamine Oxidase).

The body produces the DAO enzyme in the intestines, however inflammation in the gut or poor gut health reduces the production of DAO. As we age we also make less DAO enzyme. In addition, alcoholic beverages block DAO activity in the body, which can also potentiate a histamine reaction.

There are many symptoms of histamine reactions (if your body is doesn’t have enough DAO to breakdown the amount of histamines in your body) such as flushing, hives, headache, sneezing, watery eyes, and digestive gas, bloating and diarrhea. See the Histamine Cascade illustration below for better understanding of this systemic condition and how it can affect so many different areas of the body. 

DAO (Diamine Oxidase) nutrition supplement can be very helpful with managing histamine symptoms.

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There are underlying root causes to histamine intolerance. As a Functional Registered Dietitian Nutritionist I address these in client assessments/consultations.

Contact me for an appointment.

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