Blood Sugar Spikes and Histamine Intolerance
When looking for the root cause of our skin issues, especially rosacea, we need to pay a special attention to how our body reacts to histamine and blood sugar spikes.
Histamine
Histamine is organic compound involved in the immune system, digestive functions like removing irritants and producing stomach acid. Histamine in itself is not a bad thing but creates problems when it builds up in the body or when it gets to a place where it doesn’t belong. Small amounts of histamine help the body clear up of irritants but large amounts of it create symptoms like itchy eyes, allergy symptoms, headaches, turning very red especially on the neck and face area, heat intolerance, rosacea, and if there is a very heavy overload hives and rashes, even vomiting.
Histamine intolerance (or overload) starts when the body is making too much histamine, not breaking it down properly or in the presence of leaky gut which will allow the histamine to go where it doesn’t belong and create symptoms.
Our body regulates histamine by producing an enzyme called DAO enzyme which breaks down and deactivates unused histamine. The DAO enzyme is made primarily in the kidneys, Thymus gland and intestinal lining so if the kidneys are overloaded with toxins, the Thymus gland burdened by stress and/or our intestinal mucosal lining is disrupted chances are we are not producing enough DAO and therefore have a histamine issue. The body also needs copper and B vitamins (especially B6) to manufacture DAO.
There are other factors that can cause histamine issues even if we produce enough DAO. These are certain bacteria strains, specifically Lactobacillus bacterium that can convert the amino acid histidine into histamine (consuming lots of fermented foods or taking low quality probiotics can get you in trouble there), another one is Estrogen as this hormone stimulates histamine and finally endotoxins also stimulate histamine and in the presence of leaky gut the histamine could enter the blood stream creating even bigger problems.
Blood sugar
Often overlooked, blood sugar spikes could be the only reason you can’t get a clear skin. Blood sugar spikes increase inflammation and skin congestion due to increased skin sebum production. Blood sugar levels influence stress hormone balance as well as increase androgen hormones like testosterone within the body (we already talked about testosterone and acne in the hormone section).
The key for balancing blood sugar is a BALANCED DIET and eating frequently and enough. Forget about fasting, carnivore or keto diets and ALWAYS consume carbs (sugars) with enough protein and fat to balance blood sugar and prevent spikes.
Do this to balance blood sugar
- Start your day with a protein and fat to anchor your blood sugar
- Consume carbs, fats, and proteins together in every meal
- Eat every 2-5 hours
- Eat enough
- Manage your stress, getting adequate sleep, not overdoing high intensity exercise and building mental resistance to stress helps to keep blood sugar in check
So, as you can see most of what could be causing our skin issues begins in the gut and I strongly recommend you start there too. Pay attention to your body, look for symptoms of indigestion as well as for hormonal fluctuations and make changes to your diet and lifestyle too. Most likely you already suspect a few things and getting tested would be your next step.
For some, it is possible that all you need is to clean and sort your skincare routine but for others it could be a combination of underlying issues.
THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR REGULATED BY THE FDA. I AM NOT A DOCTOR, THEREFORE ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TRYING SUPPLEMENTS, DOING A DETOX OR CHANGING YOUR LIFESTYLE.