Seasonal Allergies & Histamine Intolerance
The sun is out, it’s officially Spring and we are feeling so much better! This time of year however, does bring its difficulties for many as with the sunnier and warmer weather comes the looming prospect of hay fever season.
The number of adults and children suffering from pollen allergies is increasing. For some, it means a few sneezes and the odd sniffle, and for others, it can be a hugely debilitating time. Hay fever and allergies are areas in which nutritional therapy can play an important role, as a preventative measure as well as to help dampen down already developed symptoms.
For many, antihistamines are a good option for managing symptoms so let’s begin with what histamine actually is, how it can affect health all year round and what we can do about it.
Histamine is a chemical that is produced by our mast cells and is released as part of our immune response. It also naturally occurs in everyday foods and some foods encourage our body to produce higher amounts.
Low levels of histamine in the body is not a problem, in fact it is essential for survival, but it’s when there is a build-up that difficulties can happen. For hay fever sufferers, the immune system overreacts to irritants in the air, causing rapid histamine release at a rate quicker than their body can get rid of it, which leads to the typical hay fever symptoms of sneezing, wheezing and runny/itchy eyes.
Some people however can suffer all year round due to a lack of the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO, which breaks down histamine) and this is called histamine intolerance. In addition to a problem with pollen, those with histamine intolerance may also experience skin rashes/eczema/hives, problems with cold/heat exposure, headaches/migraines, neurological pain, fatigue, brain fog, nasal drip, asthma, digestive issues and food intolerances.
However, from a dietary and lifestyle perspective many of the measures used to support those with histamine intolerance will be of benefit to those who suffer with seasonal allergies.
The latter group would just need to start them 3-4 weeks in advance of their normal hay fever onset and continue through their peak allergenic period. They can then stop as the season passes and start again in advance of the next.
At this point we also want to touch on the use of antihistamines. Antihistamines are there as a last resort to keep you comfortable, and in the case of acute histamine intolerance and mast cell activation syndrome (a different process but one that also ends up with excess circulating histamine too) it might be that antihistamines need to be taken on occasion to prevent a decline in quality of life.
But really all that antihistamines do is patch over your histamine receptors so your circulating levels can’t create a reaction; they have no impact on the levels themselves.
Certain key nutrients however increase histamine breakdown, and we can also lessen histamine influx through our diet which conversely allow your histamine levels to fall. Reworking the internal environment and decreasing symptoms more effectively.
WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO POOR HISTAMINE BREAKDOWN/HIGHER LEVELS?
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies – B6, Vitamin D & C & Magnesium are all important for making DAO and managing histamine levels.
Inflammation – high levels of inflammation in the body automatically mean your immune system is overreacting and your body is on high alert to potential allergens. This is one of the first things to address both through diet, lifestyle and supplements.
Hormone imbalances -increased oestrogen can down regulate DAO and progesterone can upregulate it. This explains why some women find they experience worse allergy symptoms at different points in their cycle, perimenopausal women often suffer more or start experiencing symptoms which they haven’t before, and Mums-to-be often find their allergies disappear or reduce during pregnancy.
Gut health – an imbalance of the gut microbiome is linked with hay fever, increased allergies and symptoms of histamine intolerance. Food intolerances, digestive complaints such as constipation and diarrhoea, bacterial and parasitic infections all need to be looked at before histamine issues are resolved. A stool test can be really helpful here and means we can take a targeted approach to the health of the gut. Often those with chronic allergies test for histamine intolerance instead of assessing gut health, their DAO is often perfectly fine but their microbiome is histaminergic (producing histamine) which is actually the driver for their issues.
Poor liver health and detoxification – if your liver and detoxification pathways are not functioning properly then a build-up of histamine is only going to have more likely effects. This links to both the nutrient deficiencies as these are the cofactors for all liver detox pathways so you could just be spreading your resources too thinly, and/or your gut health – not only could your microbiome be producing more histamine but if transit time is slow, and uptake of nutrients is compromised, then you will also be circulating more histamine + other waste back through the body which you then don’t have the resources to remove.
Infections – viruses can often trigger an overactive immune response post infection, and we’ve seen a huge increase in sufferers of histamine intolerance since COVID. Glandular fever, Herpes and H. Pylori have all shown to up the amount of histamine produced by the mast cells too.
Poor methylation – this is one form of liver detoxification that keeps the body running smoothly. Certain genetic mutations mean you might not be methylating effectively (this can be easily tested for in our DNA Testing) as do deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals such as active B vitamins, magnesium, vitamin D and zinc.
SO WHAT can WE DO ABOUT THESE?
A low histamine diet – this is a short-term approach whilst we work on the root cause.
Some foods contain high levels of histamine and some show its release in the body, but below is a list to get you started.
TO AVOID or LIMIT: Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, mushrooms, avocados, white potatoes, chillies, capiscum derived spices (paprika, cayenne, chilli powder), citrus fruits, spinach, strawberries, bananas, peanuts, coffee, alcohol, chocolate & chocolate products, dried fruit, aged and fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, canned food, kefir).
This may seem extreme but we have some useful tips to help you:
Where you would usually season with lemon juice turn to a young unfermented vinegar instead.
If you struggle with chopped tomatoes then roast carrots and beetroot until tender, and blend with stock to form a lovely replacement.
Opt for other berries or cherries over strawberries
Choose fresh rather than dried fruit for snacks
Try carob instead of cacao for a chocolate hit
Switch to swiss chard or parsley instead of spinach
Try nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts etc) and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame) and their butters instead of peanuts.
TO ADD DAILY: parsley, coriander, raw red onion, broccoli, nettle and tulsi tea, fresh ginger & turmeric, Epsom salt baths.
Parsley is a natural antihistamine – try blending with walnuts, nutritional yeast and olive oil to make a lovely pesto, or with peas & butter beans as a dip, or into a smoothie if you have these.
Red onions contain high levels of quercetin – a potent mast cell stabiliser. Chop then mix into oil for a seasoning, or toss with cucumber, celery, watermelon, and herbs as a salsa.
Fresh ginger and turmeric are incredibly useful to balance immune response, we love to add to the smoothies, boil in water to create a tea, or finely grate and mix into tahini or yoghurt to dress cooked vegetables/grains.
An organic nettle tea is great to have, we would suggest 2-3 cups of strongly brewed tea per day.
SUPPLEMENTS
Outside of a clinical setting I cannot give accurate dosages but I list my top recommendations below that you may wish to explore.
Omega-3 is a really effective anti-inflammatory (Try my PCH Krill Oil) as well as Curcumin which has both powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Consider taking PCH Curcumin
Quercetin is both a natural antihistamine & reduces inflammation (Quercetin from Amrita Nutrition)
To support the immune system we recommend taking Vitamin C, D & Zinc. (PCH Vitamin D3 Complex)
A methylated B vitamin complex, will aid histamine breakdown (PCH B Complex or Complete Women’s Multi).
Digestive Enzymes. While allergies are primarily associated with respiratory or skin symptoms, research suggests that digestive enzymes may also play a role in allergic reactions. When the digestive system is unable to properly break down certain proteins, the undigested fragments can trigger an immune response, leading to allergic symptoms. Research suggests that improving the health of your digestive system can positively impact your immune system's response to allergens. Digestive enzymes can help regulate the immune response, potentially reducing the severity of allergic reactions. (PCH Digest supplement).
DAO to support the breakdown of food derived histamine is incredibly useful. Take this alongside all meals.
If you have diagnosed histamine intolerance this would be suggested ongoing.
Probiotics are a funny one when it comes to histamine intolerance and something to be approached with a little caution. Some probiotics can actually aggravate symptoms, for example some Lactobacilli commonly used in the production of fermented dairy products can produce histamine. However, there are targeted products that encourage histamine breakdown. Although regularly suggested as being the safest option for someone to self-prescribe, in this instance we would actually suggest seeking expert advice before including a probiotic.
Find more information on our DNA Packages here