Olympian McKayla Maroney reveals chilling health scare. What is histamine intolerance?
Former Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney recently opened up on social media about a bewildering health scare and how she is finally getting some relief.
The Fierce Five warrior took to Instagram on Oct. 4 to share that she had been suffering from “severe insomnia” over the summer that forced her to see several specialists to figure out why.
“Hey girl. It’s been forever. Hopefully you had a hot girl summer because I definitely did not. I had a summer of severe insomnia,” the retired gymnast wrote, along with posting photos of her struggle.
“I slept a total of 10 days out of 3 months. I’d like to say it was a nightmare, but you have to sleep to have nightmares.”
Suffering from extreme sleep deprivation can lead to the following, according to Healthline:
Hallucinations
Cognitive impairments
Paranoia
Psychosis
Even though it’s rare, sleep deprivation also can cause death.
Maroney was eventually diagnosed with something called “histamine intolerance,” and she’s getting some relief and sleeping again.
What is histamine intolerance?
The athlete said that the intolerance has spiked her adrenaline dramatically, leading to a painful lack of sleep along with internal itching, she said, “like I was getting bit by mosquitoes all night” in her post.
According to Cleveland Clinic, histamine “is a chemical your immune system releases,” and “it’s mainly known for its role in causing allergy symptoms” and can affect bodily functions, including sleep. When people are histamine intolerant, they have a high level of histamine in their system since their bodies cannot break it down, Healthline reports. This can lead to:
Digestive issues
Abdominal pain
Bloating
Diarrhea
Nausea
Vomiting
Itchy skin
Fatigue
Hives
Headaches
Irregular heart rate
Dizziness
Anxiety
Maroney said that she cut high histamine foods out of her diet and added a DAO supplement to assist in breaking down excess histamine, which has led to her getting some much needed sleep.
“Praise god,” she posted. “Someone give me a round of applause, because I barely survived this one. I still need to figure out what’s causing the histamine intolerance but this is a good start for me.”
Foods that contain a high amount of histamine include:
Fermented food (like yogurt and sourdough bread)
Alcohol
Processed meat
Aged cheeses
Dried fruit
Eggplant
Avocado
Legumes (peanuts, chickpeas)
Maroney rose to fame during the 2012 Summer Olympics along with fellow gymnasts Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber, who were dubbed the “Fierce Five.”
This story was originally published October 9, 2023 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Olympian McKayla Maroney reveals chilling health scare. What is histamine intolerance?."