The Coronavirus has altered our lives. And it will also alter this Christmas, which will undoubtedly be different. Still, some things are not going to change compared to the Christmas holidays of other years: emotions increase, alcohol is exceeded, meals are exaggerated and, consequently, many people will have heavy digestion, flatulence, a feeling of bloating, contractures, hangover, headache and even migraine.
Histamine in Christmas foods
And it is not only COVID-19 alters Christmas. A molecule present in most “Christmas” foods is related with all these symptoms and also alters our lives. Is the histamine, a molecule necessary for life but that in excess becomes “perverse”. An amine that is especially present and abundant in the foods consumed at Christmas parties: by tradition, Christmas is accompanied by certain foods with a high concentration of histamine such as canapes, appetizers with sausages, smoked meats, assorted sauces such as the bechamel of the cannelloni or the tartar sauce of the fish; seafood, canned foods such as anchovies, spices such as curry or cinnamon, nougats, polvorones or roscón de reyes, cava, champagne and other alcoholic beverages.
DAO enzyme to avoid its effects
The Diamine Oxidase or DAO enzyme is responsible for metabolizing or degrading the histamine ingested through these foods. However, in these days of dietary excesses DAO activity is saturated or even inhibited by alcohol, so our best recommendation is to prevent the appearance of these symptoms by previously supplementing Christmas menus with DAO enzyme.
This measure is also advisable for those people who spend Christmas at home having tested positive for their last coronavirus test. Published studies indicate that SAR COV-2 infection causes a release of cytokines from mast cells, accompanied by a release of endogenous histamine, which may justify the triggering of some of the symptoms, so it is advisable to control the entry routes of dietary histamine or guarantee its degradation by taking DAO preventively to avoid further accumulation in plasma.
Our DAO products
DAOfood® and DAOfood® Plus are biological DAO enzyme supplements that increase the degradation capacity of dietary histamine. Its intake prevents the absorption and accumulation of circulating histamine and also counteracts the release of endogenous histamine as a reaction of the body when it comes into contact with the virus.
DR Healthcare wishes you a Happy Holidays!
References:
Kritas, S. K., Ronconi, G., Caraffa, A., Gallenga, C. E., Ross, R., & Conti, P. (2020). Mast cells contribute to coronavirus-induced inflammation: new anti-inflammatory strategy. Journal of biological regulators and homeostatic agents, 34(1), 10.23812/20-Editorial-Kritas.
