How To Get Omega 3s When Histamine Intolerant

From time to time we are delighted to welcome guest bloggers to write about their personal experiences of histamine intolerance. As such this blog reflects the personal views of the author and we are not responsible for the accuracy of the contents. Always consult your practitioner or doctor before starting any new regime, and do not construe any of this blog as health advice, but rather personal experience. This is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.

By Rebecca Myers

I literally discovered that I have histamine intolerance – because I was taking Omega 3 fatty acid supplements. I was buying my Omega 3s from Walmart, and a good friend kept yelling at me to "STOP TAKING RANCID FISH OIL!"

He recommended that I buy Nordic Naturals' brand. I told him that I could not afford Nordic Naturals' for another three weeks. He recommended that I take coconut oil to get by. So I gave it a try.

I was shocked. For the first time in 25 years, the following day, my joint pain was gone. I have had joint pain since age 30, and thought – because I was so young when it started – that it was rheumatoid arthritis. But MDs and chiropractors looked at my X-rays, and told me that I have osteoarthritis. Inflammation was breaking down my cartilage.

I found a 2019 article from Stanford, which says that:

Mast cells are best known as the culprits that produce the histamine and other molecules responsible for allergic symptoms, ranging from the itch of eczema to the mucous explosions of hay fever to the throat constriction of asthma or food-triggered anaphylaxis. But mast cells also produce a degradative protein, tryptase, that can rip up collagens and other molecules that form the cartilage in joints.   

Mast cells usually reside quietly within tissues throughout the body. But when they become activated, they secrete granules containing histamine, tryptase and other inflammatory substances.

In my three weeks without fish oil, I searched online to see if coconut oil has Omega 3s. It does not. Though both coconut oil and Omega 3s put out inflammation.

Three weeks later I bought Nordic Naturals' fish oil. Immediately, my joint pain came back. At the same time, lox (raw salmon, preserved with salt) went on sale, and I bought a lot of it.

I thought the joint pain would kill me. It was in my sacroiliac joints, in my rear end, and lasted two full days. It was so much full body inflammation, that my body felt like it had undergone a bout of the flu. Every time I moved, or even thought about moving, muscle spasms would go off – which hurt worse than giving birth at home with nothing for the pain – which I did twice, in silence. But I cried like a beaten person with this stabbing pain in the rear.

When I recovered I searched "histamine and fish oil", and discovered that I might have histamine intolerance. Clues are: That I had developed asthma at age 38, eczema at age 48, and have been having red, super itchy patches randomly show up all over my body for the past few years. I also used to get migraines that started with the arthritis – but almost never do anymore, because I started taking 500 mg of magnesium every night. I also get super uncomfortably bloated when I eat a high histamine food.

All of that is inflammation, caused by the chemicals that mast cells release, such as histamine and tryptase. Further searching, and the above article from Stanford now have me thinking that I actually have MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome). It appears that mold in the gut is the root cause of MCAS.

I believe that antibiotics destroyed my gut microbiome. From ages 17 to 22, I took daily oral Tetracycline antibiotic, for acne, While that was destroying the beneficial bacteria in my gut, mercury poisoning from eight dental amalgams – which are at least 50% mercury – recolonized my gut with candida, and other pathogens. Candida is a buffer for mercury. I think this is the reason that my gut does not make enough DAO (DiAmine Oxidase) to break down the histamine in foods.

Here's where we come around again to Omega 3s. For decades, I have been relying on fish oil as one of my top supplements, to alleviate my depression. In the three weeks that I went without it I noticed that I became super irritable and incoherent. I could not type messages to anyone without loads of typos. It seemed that every other word I sent was a typo. I really needed the Omega 3s to put out the inflammation in my brain.

I also need the Omega 3s for my heart health. Last week I got the results from my biannual health checkup lab, and for the first time ever, I have slightly elevated LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol. LDL is the bad kind of cholesterol. HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) is the good kind. I got to thinking today, that the reason that my LDL went up is because I had cut out the fish oil, so I did a quick search.

Unfortunately, because Big Tech is controlled by corrupt money, objective search results are hard to come by. Even the article that I did find hides the truth among a lot of discouraging words and confusing statements. But as I carefully read the whole article, I saw that Omega 3s definitely did, and would, lower my LDL cholesterol, and would also protect my heart health in multiple ways.

Here's one shocker from the article:

As for LDL cholesterol, omega-3 fatty acids increase their size, which is an important contribution. Smaller LDL molecules are the ones that contribute to plaques and heart disease, whereas larger LDL molecules have been found to benefit heart health.

When I was able to afford it, I tried a total of three Nordic Naturals' types of fish and cod liver oils. Each one put me in a high amount of pain. Fish has a bacteria that quickly converts it to histamine – and if you think about it, fish oil suppliers cannot freeze the fish if they are going to extract the oil. So that's why even the highest quality fish oil is going to have a huge amount of histamine.

Aside from fish, there are three other significant sources of Omega 3s. They are – flaxseed oil, krill oil, and algae oil. Flaxseed appears to have no histamine, but unfortunately, krill and algae oil do. Being a non-meat source, algae is likely lower in histamine than fish and krill oil are.

However, a Harvard article shows that flaxseed oil is not going to help reduce the inflammation in my brain:

The health benefits of fish oil are believed to derive principally from two omega-3 fats, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Flaxseed oil contains a third, plant-based omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Other foods (especially walnuts) and oils (canola and soybean, for example) contain ALA. But at about 7 grams per tablespoon, flaxseed oil is by far the richest source.

The main problem with ALA is that to have the good effects attributed to omega-3s, it must be converted by a limited supply of enzymes into EPA and DHA. As a result, only a small fraction of it has omega-3's effects — 10%–15%, maybe less.

So, in looking up krill and algae oils – I discovered two wonderful facts. First, that both krill and fish get their Omega 3s from eating algae. 

Secondly – that algae is grown inland, for production of Omega 3 supplements. This means that if we choose to consume algae oil – we stop contributing to the overfishing of seas. And we leave the krill in the sea for the species that rely on it. Also, because the algae is grown in land-based pure water – it is free of all mercury.

Having learned all of this, my morning routine now, is to take a DAO supplement 15 minutes before breakfast. I started with taking only one of the two gelcaps that each bottle of algae Omega 3s recommends. After a few weeks I felt so much better, that I tried taking two gelcaps with breakfast – one of Pure & Essential's brand, and one of Nordic Naturals'. My second day of this – and not only did the pain NOT come back – but it is almost completely gone. Apparently, Nordic Naturals' is very powerful at putting out inflammation, and the DAO cancels any small amount of histamine it might contain.

I am working now on keeping a food and symptom journal, to cut out the other food sources of histamine that bother me out of my diet.

I will leave you with the three best algae Omega 3 supplements that I have found. I bought one, and am taking it – and next, I will try the other two.

Pure & Essential Vegan Omega 3

Garden of Life Omega 3 Vegan DHA Supplements Dr. Formulated Vegan DHA, 400mg DHA & 70mg DPA in Triglyceride Form from a Single Source, Omega 3 Supplement for Women's and Men's Health, 30 Softgels

Nordic Naturals Algae Omega - 120 Soft Gels - 715 mg Omega-3 - Certified Vegan Algae Oil - Plant-Based EPA & DHA - Heart, Eye, Immune & Brain Health - Non-GMO - 60 Servings