When your food is your enemy - histamine allergy

It used to be thought that it only has a role in triggering allergic reactions, because it is mostly released from mast cells during allergic processes, but since then it has been realized that it certainly has a different function. For example, neurons are also able to communicate with each other through histamine, making the substance important for nerve signaling.

It is viable in our body for only ten to sixty minutes, but if the breakdown process is damaged because, say, we do not produce enough breakdown enzyme, histamine will be present in excessive amounts in the body. In this case, hypersensitivity (histaminosis) can develop, which is not an allergy, but it causes a number of unpleasant symptoms, mainly intestinal and dermatological, nervous and gynecological, which we would not always think have to do with the food we eat.

"This disease affects women the most, it is often related to the menstrual cycle in the form of menstrual cramps," said food biologist Ákos Bartha in his show Family-Friendly on the Danube.

Some foods may have a particularly high histamine content, while others may be almost insignificant. In general, the more fermented or matured a food, the higher its histamine content may be.

Foods with a high histamine content: ripe cheeses, pickles (cabbage, cucumbers, etc.), wines, processed, smoked meats, fish, canned food, foods contaminated with bacteria due to improper food processing. Although in slightly smaller amounts, but these foods also contain histamine: fresh dairy products, fresh meats, fish, fresh vegetables, fruits, frozen vegetables.

Although these foods contain little histamine on their own, they can stimulate the release of histamine from mast cells: citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, spinach, hazelnuts, nuts, food additives, flavor enhancers, it turned out.

Treatment is based on a strict, consistent histamine-free diet.

(Source: marmalade.co.hu; hirado.hu | Image: pixabay.com)