Probiotics that are histamine producing vs histamine degrading

[PG]

I have been reading about bacteria in our digestive tract that produce and degrade histamine. It seems to be scientific theory, not yet proven? Can anyone add to and/or correct this information? Has anyone tried this?

Apparently some bacteria in our digestive tract convert undigested proteins to histamine. As I understand, these micro-organisms are histamine producing:
- Lactobacillus casei (L.casei)
- L.delbruectii
- L.bulgaricus
- L.reuteri

And these micro-organisms break down histamine (histamine degrading), displacing the micro flora that are histamine producing:
- L.saliva
- L.plantarum
- L.rhamnosus
- L.gasseri
- Bifidobacterium longum (B.longum)
- B.infantis

These histamine degrading micro-organisms apparently make something called diamine oxidase (DAO), which is what degrades the histamine. There are DAO supplements also.

As I understand, you can also take certain anti-oxidants to stop or help regulate the release of histamine: quercetin, bromelain and resveratrol (taken together), vitamin E.

Histamine comes from mast cells which are a type of white blood cell. Mast cells release histamine to stimulate inflammation increasing blood flow to the area and attack. It helps prevent disease. It triggers an immune response for healing. (When functioning normally.) When this has gone awry, which may be the case with ocular inflammation, you want to decrease the histamine producing bacteria, and increase the histamine degrading bacteria.

[Hokucat]

Hi PG. I just saw your post after responding in another about how for me, fresh lemon juice and green tea might have ultimately helped resolve my dry MGD and manage my potential gut/auto-immune problem, since both foods are anti-oxidants and known to kill bacteria. Based on my experience, and the more I read, including your post, the more it seems the bad bacteria in our digestive track can be the cause of dry eyes for many people. I tried probiotics for a period, and it didn't help me, but I may not have been taking the right probiotics. So I think your post is a good point for people to consider. Thanks for the information!

[PG]

Yes, Hokucat, I briefly read about the theory that gut bacteria is directly related to dry eye disease. Apparently there is a high incidence of SIBO and dry eye, together. I am not sure about the details behind that theory and how it ties in with histamine exactly.

I am going to start histamine degrading probiotics this week since I just started a low histamine diet. I found a Super Acidophilus Complex at TJ's that is 70% L.acidophilus and a 30% mixture of the histamine degrading probiotics. I am also taking quercetin, bromelain & resveratrol (together) and vit E.

I did try the lemon with green tea for two weeks with no change, but both of these are not allowed on a low histamine diet.

These micro-organisms are supposedly neutral (don't produce or break down histamine):
- L.Acidophilus
- L.Lactis
- L.Plant Arum
- Lactococcus Lactis

[Hokucat]

Hi PG. Do you have MGD? If so, have you ever had your meibomian glands probed? I think the probing procedures prior to the lemon/tea helped clear away all the old, dried, built-up oil that was blocking my glands. If I did not do the probe first, I don't think any good new oil resulting from my diet changes other treatment would have been able to flow through my glands. As the doctors did the probing, there would be a "pop" each time they successfully opened up a gland, but for some glands, they were so stopped up the doctors had to work longer to open them up, or they could not put the probe through at all.

I really think there is something to bad bacteria in the gut related to dry eye, in several cases. What works for one person does not necessarily work for someone else, but there's a chance it might, so good for us to share info. I hope the low histamine diet works for you!

[PG]

Hi Hokucat. Yep, I have MGD. I haven't had probing, but I had IPL treatments with gland expression just before trying the tea/lemon. It's like manual pimple squeezing ; ). Ouch!

[Hokucat]

Hey PG. Well I'm glad IPLs and gland expression give you some relief, and good going doing them before trying the lemon/tea! However, I wish the lemon/tea would have worked for you.

Yes, gland expression is not fun. My doctors did expressions right before probing in order to see 1) which glands were open and the consistency of oil being generated (Crisco-like in my case), and 2) which glands had no oil coming out at all. For those with nothing coming out they then tried probing to confirm if they were blocked, or just not generating any oil. In my case, most were blocked, some which the probe could open, and others where the probe could not get through (was told these were permanently blocked). So probing is probably the most invasive procedure to clear the meibomian glands, and to me it was even more uncomfortable than expressing, so if the other things work for you, you're lucky!