Most people have heard about the benefits of using a good probiotic supplement, but unfortunately selecting one that’s right for you can be easier said than done. That’s because, unlike vitamins and minerals, probiotics are actually living creatures. That means, like all living creatures, that they’re metabolically active, producing chemicals that can cause reactions in the people who ingest them.
One of these chemicals is called histamine, which is associated with allergic responses even worse. Histamine functions as a neurotransmitter, which can affect the brain, leading to anxiety, nervousness, insomnia and migraine headaches. Histamine can also cause itching, rashes, chest pain and digestive discomfort. If you feel lousy after you take your probiotic supplement or you know that you are histamine intolerant, consider switching brands. Look for low histamine probiotics that don’t contain histamine secreting bacteria, the fact that should be caught out on the label.
The most likely histamine producers are going to be bacteria that are using the production of fermented dairy products, like lactobacillus bulgaricus and lactobacillus casei, although there are others. There are also some probiotic brands, like probiotic histamine x, that contain bacteria that can break down histamine. You might try using histamine degrading enzyme supplements, which are readily available on the web to take with your probiotics.
