Histamine Intolerance

This marker evaluates the genetic capacity of your microbiome to produce histamine directly within your gut. Histamine is a molecule known for triggering allergic reactions and inflammatory responses. High bacterial production capacity means your own gut may be overloading your body and causing systemic symptoms (such as migraines, hives, fatigue, and diarrhea) typical of Histamine Intolerance (HIT), even if your diet is seemingly healthy.

Histamine is not only produced by your body when you have a pollen allergy, for example; it is also naturally present in aged, cured, or fermented foods (cheeses, cured meats, wine, sauerkraut).

To prevent histamine from food from passing into your blood, your intestinal cells produce a defensive enzyme called DAO (Diamine Oxidase), which acts like "scissors" that cut and destroy histamine.

The problem arises when your microbiome intervenes. Certain gut bacteria possess their own enzyme (histidine decarboxylase) that takes histidine (a harmless amino acid present in any protein, such as chicken or fish) and transforms it into pure histamine. If you have an overgrowth of these bacteria, the histamine level in your gut constantly skyrockets. This depletes and collapses your DAO enzyme, allowing large amounts of histamine to pass into your bloodstream and travel throughout your body.

The chronic accumulation of histamine of bacterial origin generates a complex clinical picture that is often confused with real food allergies:

• Migraines and Headaches: Histamine is a potent vasodilator. When it reaches the brain, it abruptly expands blood vessels, being one of the most common molecular triggers of chronic migraines.
• Dermatological and Respiratory Problems: A systemic excess causes sudden skin redness (flushing), unexplained itching, hives, worsening of atopic dermatitis, and symptoms of false respiratory allergy (such as constant nasal drip when starting to eat).
• Digestive Disorders (Pseudo-IBS): In the gastrointestinal tract, high levels of luminal histamine strongly stimulate acid secretion and accelerate intestinal movements, causing colicky pain, acute bloating, and sudden diarrhea, often misdiagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

The evaluation of endogenous histamine production is performed using Shotgun metagenomics, quantifying the genetic potential for amino acid bioconversion.

Our bioinformatic algorithm tracks and quantifies the abundance of the hdcA gene (bacterial histidine decarboxylase). Unlike DAO enzyme blood tests, this marker assesses the "origin" of histamine overload.

At the taxonomic level, we evaluate the burden of known hyper-producing genera, which include pathobiont bacteria (such as Morganella morganii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis) but also, and very relevantly, commensal and probiotic strains of Lactobacillus (such as certain strains of L. casei and L. bulgaricus found in common yogurts).

Normal or low levels indicate healthy amino acid metabolism. The host's DAO enzyme system can handle normal dietary load without issues. However, high levels suggest your microbiome may be saturating your system with histamine. In this state, consuming traditionally "gut-healthy" foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, or kefir will severely exacerbate symptoms. The strategy requires a strict low-histamine diet, temporary exogenous supplementation of the DAO enzyme or Vitamin C (degradation cofactor), and the exclusive use of probiotic strains known to actively degrade histamine (e.g., Bifidobacterium infantis or Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG).