rosacea blog

Histamine is a biogenic amine that triggers the immune response. Histamine also acts as a neurotransmitter and has some other physiological functions (such as in the gut). Histamine increases the permeability of small blood vessels so that immune cells and proteins are better able to fight an infection. Histamine is also involved in sleep regulation; too much histamine release in the brain increases wakefulness.

Histamine is also thought to make rosacea symptoms worse. Since we also ingest histamine through our diet, I thought it was helpful to look at what foods contain the highest amount of histamine. Aged and fermented foods are naturally high in histamine, so these kind of foods dominate the list. I have gathered the information below from various sources on the internet as well as from a number of scientific papers.

The amounts of histamine are given as mg per serving size (either 3.5 Oz., 4 Oz. or pint). Please note that the same food item from different sources vary tremendously in their histamine content: food items that are close to their expiration date have a higher histamine content. Therefore, the numbers given below are for illustrative purposes only.

Here are the top 10 foods high in histamine:

1. Champagne (76 mg/4 Oz.)
2. Sauerkraut (23 mg/3.5 Oz.)
3. Tofu (as high as 22 mg/3.5 Oz.)
4. Parmesan Cheese (15 mg/3.5 Oz.)
5. Beer (7 mg/pint) Beers vary in histamine content, with top fermented beers being higher in histamine.
6. Sausage (6 mg/3.5 Oz.) Fresh sausage is often lower in histamine than the cured/aged sausage.
7. Blue Cheese (5 mg/3.5 Oz.)
8. Red Wine (3.5 mg/4 Oz.)
9. Eggplant (3 mg/3.5 Oz.)
10. Tomato Ketchup (2 mg/3.5 Oz.)
11. Canned Fish (tuna, salmon, herring) (2 mg/3.5 Oz.)

“Numbers shown are approximate”

Foods that stimulate the release of histamine

Certain foods (even food that is low in histamine) can stimulate the release of histamine from mast cells (a type of immune cell). These foods include bananas, tomatoes, strawberries, pineapple, nuts, peanuts, shellfish, spinach, egg white and chocolate. Eating these foods can thus have an indirect effect on rosacea.

Some of the most tasteful food is high in histamine. High histamine levels however, can cause headaches, runny nose, sneezing, stomach aches/cramps and flushing skin.

Maintz, L. and Novak, N. (2007) Histamine and histamine intolerance. Am J Clin Nutr 85: 1185–96.

What we choose to eat can have a huge impact on our skin. Certain foods in particular can have a negative effect, increasing the degree of redness of the face, commonly associated with rosacea.

Since rosacea is an inflammation of the facial skin, any food substance that can increase the inflammatory processes, will have a negative effect upon skin that suffers from rosacea. For example, foods with high levels of histamine will increase the inflammation and therefore, redness of the skin. Histamine has also been linked to cluster headaches, hypertensive episodes, and food-drug interactions.

Histamine can be found in many aged, and in some cases spoiled, foods. Examples of foods that have high histamine levels are: cheese, wine, soy sauce, pickled foods, cured meats, smoked fish, tomatoes and red peppers.

When I was first diagnosed with rosacea in my twenties, the top 3 foods that caused an increase in my facial redness were chocolate, tomatoes and red (bell) peppers. As I am getting older, I have noticed that chocolate and tomatoes do not have such a strong effect on my rosacea as they once did, while red peppers still cause me problems.

About five years ago, I started to add chocolate (organic) back to my diet. I found that my facial redness did not get worse by eating chocolate a few times a week. I don’t have any explanation for that, but it could be that the organic chocolate (which is less processed) has less of an effect on rosacea than other chocolate, perhaps due to the higher anti-oxidant content of organic chocolate.

Does the sensitivity to histamine containing foods differ between rosacea sufferers, and, does the sensitivity to a particular food change over the years as we get older? I invite my readers to leave comments about this.

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More Reading:

• Flushing Away Rosacea :: Your Health Updates – … Views and Perspectives, chronic conditions | Tags: acidic, adrenaline flushing, alkaline, flushing, health perspectives, healthy eating, Inflammation, Nutrition, ph, processed food, rosacea, rosasea treatment, steroid flushing, …