HISTAMINE-FREE DIET - TREATMENT OF CHOICE FOR HISTAMINE-INDUCED FOOD INTOLERANCE AND SUPPORTING TREATMENT FOR CHRONICAL HEADACHES

Histamine-induced food intolerance is not IgE-mediated. Skin-prick tes ting and specific IgE to food allergens are typically negative. Food r ich in histamine or red wine may cause allergy-like symptoms such as s neezing, flush, skin itching, diarrhoea and even shortness of breath. The suspected reason is a diminished histamine degradation based on a deficiency of diamine oxidase. As diamine oxidase cannot be supplement ed, a histamine-free diet was implemented to reduce histamine intake. Forty-five patients with a history of suffering from intolerance to fo od or wine (n=17) and chronic headache (n=28) were put on the diet ove r months to years. Fish, cheese, hard cured sausages, pickled cabbage and alcoholic beverages had to be avoided. Complaint intensity and dru g-use per week prior to and 4 weeks after a histamine-free diet were c ompared. After 4 weeks on the diet 33/45 patients improved considerabl y (P<0.01), eight of them had total remission. In 12/45 patients, howe ver, no changes in symptoms were observed. Symptoms of food or wine in tolerance significantly decreased (P<0.02; treatment of choice), heada ches decreased in frequency (P<0.001), duration and intensity. After e ating histamine-rich food symptoms were reproducible and could be elim inated by anti-histamines in most patients. These data indicate the ro le of histamine in food and wine intolerance and that histamine-rich f ood causes a worsening of symptoms in patients suffering from chronic headaches. Results obtained support the hypothesis of a deficiency of diamine oxidase in patients with intolerance to food or wine.