RARE ELEMENTS — EVIDENCE FIRST
RARE Labs Science
Here we share studies, explain fundamentals and show how we assess evidence — factually, without health promises.
Articles & studies
13In focus
MCAS supplements
Quercetin, luteolin and vitamin C in MCAS research: what cell and human studies show, and why they do not establish a supplement recommendation.
12 sources · 10 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Basics explained
Low-histamine diet
Low-histamine diets and histamine intolerance: the role of freshness and food lists, what guidelines recommend and where evidence is limited.
7 sources · 8 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Basics explained
Calming mast cells
“Calming mast cells”: what it means, the role of individual triggers and medical care, and what nutrient studies do not establish.
7 sources · 8 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Basics explained
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)
MCAS is not a fashionable label but an actively researched activation pattern with defined criteria. We set out which consensus criteria exist, how the laboratory pathways are built — and where the evidence ends.
5 sources · 9 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Formulation know-how
Quercetin & luteolin
Quercetin and luteolin are among the most studied flavonoids in mast cell research. What cell studies show, why intestinal absorption is the real hurdle — and what phytosomes change about it.
6 sources · 8 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Basics explained
Fatigue, ME/CFS & mitochondrial function
Why mitochondria are discussed in ME/CFS and long COVID research, what cell measurements show — and how robust the existing studies on coenzyme Q10 and NADH are.
4 sources · 8 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Basics explained
Histamine intolerance tests
How can histamine intolerance be tested? The German-language guideline recognises no single reliable laboratory test. An overview of DAO blood tests, food diaries, provocation – and why other causes are ruled out first.
6 sources · 8 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Basics explained
Histamine breakdown
How DAO and HNMT break down histamine, why a DAO blood test cannot establish a diagnosis, and why nutrients do not automatically increase histamine breakdown.
5 sources · 8 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Basics explained
Mind & health
Mind and body are closely linked. What current reviews say about movement, nutrition and mental wellbeing — and where the evidence reaches its limits.
4 sources · 7 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Basics explained
Mast cells, histamine and MCAS
What mast cells are, how they release histamine and why mast cell activation alone does not mean an MCAS diagnosis. The basics with linked sources.
2 sources · 6 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Basics explained
Reading levels of evidence
Not every study carries the same weight. A short guide to placing nutrient claims realistically.
1 sources · 5 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Formulation know-how
Nutrient forms and bioavailability
Same milligram figure, different absorption. How we select nutrient forms for RARE formulations.
1 sources · 7 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
Study update
Post-viral fatigue
An overview of study types, endpoints and open questions in persistent fatigue after viral infection.
1 sources · 8 min · N. Thornton, MSc.
