Frequently Asked Questions
How does NaturDAO work?
NaturDAO supplies plant-origin diamine oxidase. You take it before eating and it works in the gut, where it breaks down the histamine that comes in with food. It does not treat the cause of the deficiency: it helps with dietary histamine while you follow a low-histamine diet.
Experts suggest that following a restrictive diet of specific Amines for about 2/4 weeks may be sufficient to notice improvements.
Indeed, nutrition plays a crucial role in restoring the balance of our gut microbiota. In this process, the assistance of DAO supplementation is recommended along with the supervision of a specialist in the field.
How should I take NaturDAO?
Take it daily, just before meals, swallowed with a little water. The usual timing is about five minutes before eating for the tablets and about fifteen minutes for the capsules, because the capsule releases the enzyme further along the gut. Keep it up on the days you eat histamine-rich food.
It is recommended to take it daily before meals. It is a supplement designed to be easily swallowed with a little water. Ideally, take a dose about 5 minutes (for tablets) or 15 minutes (for capsules) before meals.
At which meals should I take the DAO supplement?
Generally, most people take it with their main meals as they are the most varied in terms of ingredients and the most substantial. However, some people also take it with breakfast or snacks. Our advice is for you to adjust your DAO intake based on the results you perceive. No one knows yourself better than you do.
Can I take NaturDAO after meals?
If you forget to take NaturDAO before, taking it afterward is not the most appropriate. It’s important to consider that the DAO supplement should go before the meal, as its content will serve to break down those amines to prevent them from being absorbed.
What if I have difficulty swallowing?
The tablet is small and meant to be swallowed whole with a little water. If that is hard, some customers break it into two or three pieces; the capsule, on the other hand, should not be opened, because its coating is what protects the enzyme until it reaches the intestine.
Can NaturDAO be split/crushed/opened…?
TABLETS: Ideally, the tablet should be swallowed whole. However, some of our customers split it into two or three halves to facilitate swallowing, and it helps them.
CAPSULES: The capsule coating is necessary for it to reach the small intestine and release its content, so they should not be opened as their interior would be exposed to stomach acid and could lose its functional activity.
How do I know if I have DAO deficiency?
There are diagnostic tests, but a low-amine diet also helps to detect it: if you follow a strict low-histamine diet for two to four weeks and the symptoms ease, that points to histamine intolerance. From there it is worth looking for the cause with a professional.
There are some diagnostic tests, but a low-amine diet is also a great tool for treating and detecting histamine intolerance. Following a strict low-histamine and other biogenic amine diet for 2-4 weeks could be sufficient to check if you suffer from histamine intolerance or not. It’s important not to follow the diet indefinitely and not without the supervision of a qualified nutritionist.
On the other hand, you can analyze the activity of the DAO enzyme in plasma in your trusted laboratory. Determining the activity of this enzyme will help you know if your symptoms may be due to histamine intolerance.
Should I take DAO supplementation?
Supplementation can be an option to consider when a person has insufficient levels of DAO. On the other hand, special attention must be paid to the diet. If your goal is to restore the balance of the gut microbiota along with your well-being, DAO enzyme supplementation will provide extra support in this process.
What are the differences between plant-based and animal-based DAO?
The difference that matters is efficiency. As for stability, both denature over time unless they come in a galenic format that protects them, which is why the packaging and the release form matter as much as the origin. NaturDAO uses plant DAO, suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
The answer, without a doubt and unequivocally, is its effectiveness.
Regarding stability, both, over time, without being presented in a specific galenic format, inevitably denature, gradually losing their enzymatic activity.
But the difference between plant-based and animal-based DAO is their enzymatic activity. A single unit of plant-based DAO has a gigantic catalytic power compared to the same unit of animal-based DAO.
In other words, this vast difference in enzymatic activity indicates that plant-based DAO in the digestive tract can break down hundreds of times more amines from ingested food in fractions of a second.
It’s worth remembering that enzymes are measured by activity, not by weight. In the case of DAO, it’s HDU (Histamine Digesting Units), which comes from the abbreviation in English: Histamine Digesting Units. And this is the indicator that will show you the enzymatic activity of any DAO supplement.
Beyond this, of course, there are other positive and decisive factors to choose plant-based DAO, such as its ‘cruelty-free’ origin (the animal-based one usually comes from pig kidneys) and the fact that it’s a product of plant origin, making it a 100% suitable supplement for vegans.
Does NaturDAO have any side effects?
Our product belongs to the family of digestive enzymes and shows no side effects or interactions so far described. Furthermore, our DAO supplement, due to its molecular weight, does not transfer to your bloodstream but travels through your entire digestive system until its excretion, providing the benefits of its enzymatic activity.
During lactation, can I take NaturDAO?
As of today there are no published data on whether it passes into breast milk. Its high molecular weight and its very poor intestinal absorption make that very unlikely, but while breastfeeding do not take any supplement without your doctor or midwife knowing and approving it.
As of the last update, we found no published data on its excretion in breast milk.
Its high molecular weight and its negligible intestinal absorption make its passage into breast milk very unlikely.
According to the website www.e-lactancia.org, “Breast milk has the ability to break down histamine by containing the enzyme histaminase (Lawrence 2016 p183). This same enzyme, histaminase or diamine oxidase (DAO), present in the small intestine and ascending colon (and kidney), breaks down ingested histamine and normally prevents its passage to plasma in significant amounts (Kovacova 2015, Kanny 1999).” In any case, we recommend consulting with your pediatrician.
Can children take NaturDAO?
No. This product was not designed for children, so it is not a decision to take on your own. If you think it might make sense for a child, ask a healthcare professional first, and in any case an adult must supervise how it is taken.
This product has not been designed for children. In any case, a professional should advise, but always under adult supervision.
I'm pregnant: can I take NaturDAO or another DAO supplement?
Our supplement, like most on the market, does not have enough studies in pregnant women. During pregnancy you should not take any medicine or supplement that your doctor has not authorised, so check with them before starting, and that includes NaturDAO.
Our supplement, like the vast majority of supplements on the market, lacks sufficient studies with pregnant women. You should avoid taking any medication or supplement during pregnancy that is not under medical supervision.
Furthermore, from the 7th month of pregnancy, your placenta will produce about 500 times more DAO than usual as a mechanism to protect the fetus. So, your natural ability to degrade histamine will increase substantially, and mostly, you will not require DAO supplementation.
What are the differences between NaturDAO tablets and NaturDAO capsules?
The capsules have more enzyme activity than the tablets, but the difference you notice most is how they release it: the capsule is gastro-resistant and frees the enzyme further along the digestive tract, while the tablet is available sooner. That is why the timing of the dose differs.
On one hand, NaturDAO capsules have more enzymatic activity than NaturDAO tablets. However, the main and most noticeable difference is how it releases in your digestive system.
Tablets are an excellent option in most cases, as they are quickly available in your digestive system before meals due to being slow-release.
In simplified terms, we have “tablets” that are “slow-dissolving” or capsules with “delayed release.” We recommend trying both at intervals of one or two weeks to see which presentation best suits your digestive system.
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