The role of histamines in fermentation and how some people may need to address gut imbalance first in order to fully enjoy the benefits of these traditionally cultured foods without symptoms such as breakouts.
We have known since the 1930s that beneficial bacteria, especially Lactobacillus acidophilus found in fermented foods, can help heal intestinal permeability.
This condition is better known as leaky gut. The research clearly shows that foods rich in probiotics are an essential component in maintaining clear skin and avoiding problems with acne.
But what about those with histamine intolerance?
This condition, in fact, might be an important caveat to watch out for with regard to the consumption of fermented foods and those prone to skin breakouts.
Histamine Intolerance and Fermented Foods
Histamine is a chemical your body produces as a result of an allergic reaction. The release of histamine frequently can express itself on the surface of the skin through a number of symptoms, including but not limited to urticaria (hives), eczema, rosacea, and acne.
Interestingly, the histamine molecule along with the amino acids tyrosine and arginine all have an effect on vasculature (blood flow), and have been linked to contribute to migraine headaches. Too much tyramine in the diet can increase blood pressure, whereas too much arginine reduces blood pressure.
Fermented foods are one of the biggest sources of histamines.
Those who have yet to see an improvement with other suggestions and diet changes to address their acne, may have a histamine intolerance and benefit greatly from avoiding histamine and histamine-releasing foods.
The enzyme DAO (Diamine Oxidase) metabolizes histamine, and research shows that those who are sensitive to foods high in histamine may produce low levels of this enzyme.
In addition, people with low levels of DAO typically have other digestive concerns too, such as intestinal permeability, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), and possibly other gut-related symptoms and conditions.
Although there is not direct evidence linking acne to foods high in histamine, there are studies that show improvement of Atopic Dermatitis when a low histamine diet is adopted.
Furthermore, I have personally experimented with a diet low in histamine, arginine, and tyrosine and have experienced reduced irritation in the skin and minimizing of breakouts. This same improvement was noted with several of my clients with difficult-to-eradicate acne issues.
Acne and Possible Diet Link
Any form of stress causes inflammation, and eating foods promoting inflammation can certainly cause acne, even without exposure to acne-causing bacteria.
This is why traditional ways to are not always effective. When inflammation occurs, stress hormones trigger the release of histamine, which in turn can irritate the skin for those with histamine intolerance.
For some tougher acne cases, this may be the body’s way of expressing its reaction when consuming foods high in these substances.
High Histamine Foods to Avoid
There are many foods containing a mixture of histamine and tyrosine, and that’s because histamine induces tyrosine production, which specifically includes foods that are aged, cured, smoked, and fermented.
I’m a big proponent of self-experimentation when it comes to diet and what works for an individual. A typical elimination diet would exclude the most common food suspects and sensitivities.
However, if you haven’t noticed an improvement in your skin after doing this, the following foods on the list below are worth avoiding as well.
Note that histamine intolerance is a wide spectrum. Hence, it would be common for sufferers to find some of these foods below irritating while others produce no issues.
Beverages
Avoid teas, regular coffee, sodas, beer, wine, cider, kombucha, and even milk.
Fruits
Citrus fruits, pineapple, peaches, nectarines, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, avocados, dates, raisins, plums and papaya, olives, bananas, and tomatoes.
Vegetables
Cabbage, nightshades like tomatoes and eggplant, pickles, spinach, and fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut.
Dairy
Aged cheeses, such as cheddar, gouda, brie and blue cheese (think smelly cheeses), and fermented dairy such as yogurt, kefir, and cultured buttermilk.
Spices
Ceylon cinnamon, cassia cinnamon, anise, curry powder, hot paprika and nutmeg. Watch out for fermented condiments too like traditional soy sauce and coconut aminos.
Nuts and seeds
Peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and walnuts are the highest sources of histamines in these foods.
Smoked or cured meats
Watch out for mahi mahi, tuna, sardines, cured meat like bacon, ham, deli meat, sausages, hot dogs, jerky, and pepperoni.
Miscellaneous
Consider avoiding chocolate, cocoa powder or chocolate-derived ingredients, artificial additives/ flavors/ dyes, natural soy sauce, wheat germ, vinegar of all kinds, miso paste (both light and dark) and other foods made by fermenting soy, ketchup and mustard.
Probiotics Can Fill the Gap
Many of the foods on the list above are fermented. This means that they can provide good bacteria in order to strengthen gut and immunity health.
Thus, a probiotic supplement is an appropriate choice for people who have a histamine intolerance or sensitivity.
This article details how to choose the best probiotic for your situation, histamine intolerant or otherwise.
Complete avoidance of these foods is difficult to do and not necessary forever. Eliminating them for at least a month should give you a good idea as to whether your body is being affected.
At a later time, you can reintroduce these foods back into your diet slowly. It’s important to note and keep in mind that some people will react more specifically to histamine.
Others may be affected more or equally by tyrosine or arginine, or possibly have no reaction at all.
Be patient, listen, and see how you’re body responds. Observation is the ultimate test to know what will bring you the results you’re looking to achieve both in your skin and overall health.
References
(1) Risk factors for sebaceous gland diseases and their relationship to gastrointestinal dysfunction in Han adolescents
(2) Histamines in Migraine and Brain
(3) Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis with a Low Histamine Diet
(4) Histamines and Histamine Intolerance
(5) Oxidative deamination of biogenic amines by intestinal amine oxidases: histamine is specifically inactivated by diamine oxidase
More Information
Taking Probiotics for Maximum Benefit
That is interesting that you list milk as a beverage to avoid. There is so much conflicting information on the internet. I just read something that gave a thumbs up for milk at Dr Georgia Ede’s site- diagnosis diet dot com. She has an article title Freshness Counts: Histamine Intolerance, where she gives her own story. She said uncultured dairy products such as milk and cream tend to be very low in histamine, with levels of less that 1 mg per kg. The same is true for fresh unripened cheese with short shelf lives such as fresh mozzarella and ricotta.
This is awesome news for me because I feel really boxed in and limited in food choices to heal my body of autoimmune diseases. I would love to do a sheep milk fast, especially now that I read sheep milk is Sarah’s favorite! I trust her endorsement.
I have neighbors who sell raw jersey milk but unfortunately they supplement with those cow sticks that I believe have GMO corn in them. But I’m desperate. I really need to get well. At least now I know why I didn’t feel well on sauerkraut and kefir. I am thankful for the clues that showed up on my face in the form of a red rash. I might have to get some sheep.
In the meantime, and since sheep milk is not really available around here do you think the raw jersey milk is okay even though they add the gmo corn to it and Lord knows if they supplement with grain or not during the winter. They don’t have a website or anything that specifies what is in their milk in writing.
You can try it and see …. it is VERY hard to find “perfect” dairy anymore even from small, grassfed farms. And if you do, the cost is usually prohibitive. The soil is just too depleted to rely only on pasture and forage in many cases and some sort of supplemental feed during milking is very helpful to maintain the cow’s optimal health. Also know that sheep yogurt is available at many Whole Foods. That might be an option to try as well.
I had acne right up until I was 30 years old and then I realized my acne was caused by 2 reasons:
(1) Spicy foods – they caused me to break out. Spicy food creates inflammation in the gut—from an upset stomach and this inflammation can also be seen on the skin with acne.
(2) Using the wrong products. I was using really harsh acne products, but my skin is sensitive! I tried all of them, and the best products for my sensitive skin were Citrus Clear’s Sensitive Wash. Its strong enough to take the old off my face, but doesnt strip it. It also have that Vitamin A Retinol thing, which is great for clearing oil.
Try both of them !
Today I got some test results and my doc says I have an overgrowth of bad bacteria, an undergrowth of good bacteria and a fungal infection. So he is putting me on Bactrim and Nystatin. Bactrim is the very same antibiotic that my old derm prescribed and that I took for years — it’s the only antibiotic that calms my skin down! Maybe I was just keeping that bad bacteria at bay all these years when I took Bactrim for flare-ups. My regular doc firmly believes my problem is with my gut and not my skin…although the facial skin is where I happen to suffer from the inflammation. He thinks that if we can get the gut healed the skin will follow. He may be right.
I’m starting to suspect my 3 year old has histamine intolerance. He takes fermented cod liver oil most days. I should stop this, correct? And what about raw milk? Is it high in histamines too?
I am totally confused now – I have been told by our daughters pediatrician that following the Westin A. Price diet is the way to go for the most part, and I have been religiously making bone broth for years now and trying to get them to eat fermented foods. My older daughter has had a bout with acne (she is 19) and our youngest (now 15) has had a problem with eczema off and on since getting a vaccination at 18 mos. old. I am currently studying holistic nutrition and am considering doing the GAPS diet with my youngest (who has the eczema issues) to try and clear it and help heal her gut.
Is there a test out there that can easily confirm whether or not one has a histamine intolerance?
We have been doing GAPS for several months, but started intro about 6 weeks ago. About a month before starting I had a dermatitis/eczema rash mildly develop between my fingers on the left hand. My hands are so bad right now doing GAPS, I am at a loss. A friend who has severe histamine intolerance told me this could be the problem. Most of the foods I shouldn’t eat, we eat a lot of…large amounts of saurkraut, green tea, avacado, tomato, cabbage, pickles, nuts, homemade yogurt, etc. These are a huge part of our diet. I am so discouraged. Everything that can heal, I can’t eat. So I am going off all these foods to see if there is an improvement. If there is, I will do that for a while then reintroduce the important ones…saurkraut, yogurt, nuts. Thanks for this article. I was baffled as to why being on such a healthy diet I was getting so bad. I have never had eczema before this.
Sensitive to histamine for almost 3 years. I’ve read a lot and I tried a lot of different supplements too. Now I found my supplement, Daosin 😉
I attached the homepage of it, so I don’t have to write everything about it.
Just happy 🙂
My daughter gets rashes and exzema really bad and it seems to be coming back now that we are following the Weston diet more. I was told to use Quercetin?? while our guts heal to reduce the inflammation. Is this true?
I’m sensitive to histamine as well and I’m using a dietary supplement for a long time. It makes my life so easy because I can go out without being worried or stuff like that. I can eat everything, doesn’t matter if it’s histamine rich or not. I found it online and I got it recommended by some users within a allergy forum. The supplement is called Daosin. Well probably some guys of you are able to take it too. Your doctor will help you and will inform you about it, I guess. Good luck everyone!
Sensitive to HI for almost 5 years. A couple weeks ago I found a dietary supplement called Daosin. It makes it possible to go out with my girlfriend wihtout thinking what I can or can not eat. It basicly brought me back to life, no deficits anymore. I’m really happy to have it and of course I always carry it with me.
Daosin helps me to avoid the allergic reaction and I don’t have to fight with strong headache or stuff like that.
*Anyway, I’m avoiding red wine so far, because I’m a little bit afraid to drink it.
This is all really interesting..have just tripped over your comments in passing..its just that our son was one of the first children through the RPAH Allergy Clinic back in the mind 80’s.
They pretty much saved my life ! as I was breast feeding and got down to eating only rice, pears and chicken to keep him OK. I was disappearing.
He was the unhappiest baby alive with severe gastric distress whatever we did..the allergist and dietician at RPAH clarified the issues being a reaction to Salicylates, amines etc.
Just brilliant.
Then he had early puberty and appalling acne from the age of 9.
As far as I was aware he was on a healthy high fruit and vegs diet and it was related to hormone activity but think a greater focus on specific dietary issues at that stage might have really helped.