ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- If you don’t have enough reasons to eat cheese, National Cheese Day is June 4, but could your celebratory consumption be met with unpleasant symptoms? If you’re part of the 5% of the U.S. population that suffers from a histamine intolerance or DAO deficiency, histamine-rich cheese will most likely trigger reactions that resemble food allergy symptoms such as itching, sneezing, headaches, flushing and watery eyes. However, you can still prevail on National Cheese Day by supplementing with a DAO enzyme called Umbrellux DAO 15 to 30 minutes before eating high-histamine cheeses to reduce the likelihood of unpleasant reactions.
“Histamine intolerance, or DAO deficiency, is the lesser known of the food intolerances,” said Felicia Stoler, registered dietitian nutritionist and author of, “Living Skinny in Fat Genes.” “So many people don’t know how to reduce their reactions that are histamine related and struggle with the standard solution of giving up certain high-histamine foods altogether. This is where a supplement like Umbrellux DAO can really help someone improve quality of life by allowing more flexibility in foods, especially since many high-histamine foods are really good for your health.”
Histamine is a chemical that is produced by the body and is also present in certain foods. It plays a crucial role with our immune system, but intolerance can develop with age when there is increased availability of histamine in the body or decreased activity of the enzymes, namely diamine oxidase (DAO), responsible for breaking down and removing histamine from the body.
Stoler says it’s best to be aware of the level of histamine when choosing to eat cheese, as not all cheeses contain the same amount of histamine. Aged cheeses such as Parmesan, Gouda, Swiss and cheddar are generally considered to be higher in histamine, while mozzarella, ricotta, cottage cheese and cream cheese have lower amounts of histamine. If you have a DAO deficiency, consuming cheeses with lower histamine content may minimize your reaction. Enjoying a glass of wine with your cheese can add to the problem, especially red wine that contains 20 to 200% more histamine than white wine. For a histamine intolerant person, a glass of red wine combined with cheese could easily trigger an unwanted reaction, unless you pair it with Umbrellux DAO before you indulge.
“I love food holidays because I believe food should be celebrated. It’s a way for us to connect with friends and family by sharing a meal or just having fun with a friend on National Cheese Day. But if you struggle with a food intolerance, food holidays can be dreadful,” said Stoler. “If someone has a serious histamine intolerance and DAO deficiency, he or she needs to stick to a low-histamine diet as much as possible to really control reactions, but it’s nice to know you can have a cheat day and enjoy your cheese day with a glass of red wine, if you like, by simply being proactive and taking Umbrellux DAO first, which helps your body breakdown the histamine in those foods and beverages so you won’t experience a bad reaction.”
In addition to cheese and wine, histamine is also found naturally in chocolate, bananas, avocado, tomatoes, eggplant, tuna, smoked meats and beer. Umbrellux DAO is the original food-grade DAO enzyme available in the United States. The patented designed-release formula ensures the delivery of the DAO enzyme to the small intestine where it works with the body’s own DAO to assist in neutralizing histamine. Umbrellux DAO may be taken daily to maintain long-term balance of DAO in the body. Visit www.umbrelluxdao.com to purchase or for more information on DAO deficiencies, visit: www.daodeficiency.org.
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