This month we were lucky to be able to talk to Adriana Duelo, a graduate in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and director of AD Dietistas, a nutrition and dietetics centre specialising in DAO Deficiency. The project was born in 2011, being then the first practice in the world dedicated to treat patients with DAO Deficiency.
What is DAO Deficiency?
It is the lack of the enzyme Diamine Oxidase. The enzyme responsible for metabolising the histamine we ingest through our diet. What is the problem? In some people it is not very active, it does not manage to eliminate all the histamine that we ingest every day through our diet and this accumulates, generating a wide range of symptoms.
How is DAO deficiency detected, what are the symptoms and how is it treated?
DAO deficiency is suspected when you have more than 2 of the following symptoms: intestinal irregularities, migraine, hives, muscle aches, fatigue and/or non-allergic rhinitis. It is not necessary to have all of them, but a minimum of 2. From here we ask for a series of analytical tests and depending on the results we apply one treatment or another. The basis always starts with a low histamine diet.
Let's talk about histamine, what is it and what is it for?
Histamine is a substance with multiple physiological functions that we find in the cells of connective tissue and mucous membranes, as well as in the neurons of the hypothalamus and in different organs of the body. It does not have a specific location. On the other hand, histamine is found in a great many foods and it is histamine that we are concerned about if DAO is not working properly. Its accumulation can lead to an imbalance and cause various symptoms.
As you said, there are foods that contain histamine, which ones should we avoid and what would be our best diet?
The list is endless and we try to talk about the ones that can be eaten. In this way the focus of the treatment is positive. However, to give you the top 5 would be cured cheeses, sausages, canned fish and alcoholic beverages with double fermentation.
Are there genetic factors that cause it?
In fact it is the main cause of DAO deficiency. There are 4 genetic variants linked to deficiency of the enzyme that can be inherited from parents to children. It is easy to find out by means of a blood or saliva test. In these cases, treatment, apart from a low histamine diet, includes supplementation with DAO enzyme.
Finally, once DAO deficiency is detected, can it be corrected or is it something you will have for the rest of your life?
It depends on the origin, because if it is genetic there will be no enzyme recovery at all. But if it is acquired, for example, due to inflammation of the intestinal mucosa, we will be able to increase DAO activity. In any case, whatever the origin, we always end up with the same conclusion. The most important thing of all is to have the solution to control the symptoms, and we have it.
Anela Fruits is a 100% natural fruit dessert that helps in the low histamine diet for DAO Deficiency. In this case, the products that can be consumed to follow this diet are: pear, pear and apple, apple, apple and mango, apple and peach, apple and carrot.
Remember that you can buy our products directly from our online shop.
