Do you have a Histamine Intolerance? Take the quiz to find out…
Do you have a large number of unpleasant symptoms all seemingly unrelated?
Have you tried making changes to your diet such as eating more fermented foods and taking probiotics to support your gut health but actually feel worse?
It could be a histamine intolerance.
Histamine issues are hard to diagnose due to the nature of how histamine functions, causing widespread symptoms throughout the body and making it hard to pin down the cause. Due to the fact that each individual can struggle with a different group of symptoms it can be confusing!
Testing for histamine is not standardised worldwide and DAO urine testing is inherently unreliable. There are some genetic tests that can point to an increase in the likelihood of developing a histamine intolerance but again this is only an indication and a small part of the histamine picture.
Reliable statistics on how many people are affected by histamine intolerance are limited due to its underdiagnosis and overlap with other conditions.
However it is believed that histamine intolerance affects around 1-3% of the general population, but this number could be higher due to misdiagnosis or lack of awareness.
While the exact numbers are elusive, awareness of histamine intolerance is growing, and more people are identifying it as the root cause of unexplained symptoms. Which makes awareness of histamine intolerance even more important and why I designed this quiz based on 8 years of clinical nutrition experience and my own histamine intolerance symptoms!
The most reliable way to find out if you have a histamine intolerance is to understand the symptoms and then remove high histamine foods by doing a histamine elimination diet, to see if your symptoms improve.
Take the quiz below to find out if you have a histamine intolerance and start your journey to feeling better today.
The Histamine Quiz
This is an extensive list of high histamine symptoms, from the common to the rare and bizarre!
Take a look through this list and keep a score of how many you have. At the end you can total up the scores.
Symptoms
Taking antihistamines reduces your symptoms
Sensitive or react to high histamine foods - cheese, cured meats, wine/beer, avocado, tomato, aubergine, smoked salmon and some fish
Sensitive or react to fermented foods - sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha, pickles and vinegars
Some foods that you tolerate, you then react to, but not every time!
Palpitations - often after eating
Heart arrythmias
Fainting
Dizziness and Vertigo
Often feel lightheaded
Pins and Needles
Restless Leg Syndrome
Frequent Nosebleeds
Headaches or Migraines esp One Sided Cluster Headaches - often after eating
Feeling irritable - often after eating
Redness or flushing of the skin - often after eating
Feeling itchy all over
When you scratch your skin it leaves strong red marks
Itchy, sore, gritty or red eyes
Sneezing and hayfever type symptoms
You struggle with bad hayfever and seasonal allergies
Running nose
Sinus congenstion
Asthma, wheezing, tight chest or SOB - often after eating
Exercise induced asthma - especially seasonally
Prolonged redness in face post exercise
Frequent Coughing and Clearing of Throat
Eczema or Rashes on your body
Acne or Rosacea
Tinnitus or ringing in the ears
Anxiety
Insomnia or trouble falling asleep
Depression and Low Mood
Severe reactions to bug bites e.g. mosquitoes
Body aches and pains
Brain fog
Fatigue
Nausea - often with dizziness
Bloating within minutes of eating
Loose bowel movements/Diarrohea
Cramping/Abdominal Pain
Acid Reflux
Frequent Urination
Bladder or Pelvic Pain
Period Pains
Heavy Periods
Recurrent Miscarriages
Pregnancy Complications
Excessive Morning Sickness
Infertility
PMS
You have Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
Your Score
If have between 0 - 4 symptoms then you are unlikely to have a histamine intolerance.
If you count between 5 - 14 then you are likely to have one.
If you have over 15 symptoms then you are very likely to have a histamine intolerance.
In the case of likely to very likely, I would recommend doing a histamine elimination diet and adding in some histamine supporting foods and supplements to see if your symptoms improve. It best to do this under the guidance of a medical professional especially if you have pre existing conditions or are taking prescription medications. However it can be done alone and can cause a reduction in symptoms.
To heal histamine issues longterm you will need to get to the root of your histamine intolerance as a strict elimination diet is not something that should be used for longterm management.