Foods with tyramine

Normally, increasing your intake of amino acids is one of the best things you can do for your health. In this case, people have been warned against eating foods with tyramine. Tyramine is an amino acid responsible for releasing adrenaline when it is time to fight or take flight. Studies prove that this compound does indeed have its benefits but more often than not, consuming it is discouraged because of side effects.

What are the benefits of tyramine?

Some research experts argue that tyramine can boost energy by releasing adrenaline. It is also believed that it can prevent insulin from rising. High insulin can hinder the production of growth hormones and your body from processing protein. This amino acid is often recommended to people who want to lose weight because it helps the uptake of glucose when there is a shortage of carbohydrates. Further studies are still being conducted to verify the positive effects of consuming foods with tyramine.

What are the possible side effects of tyramine?

Many patients have come forward to report migraines, increase heart rate, nausea, vomiting, excessive sweating, dilated pupils and changes in blood pressure. This is usually the case with supplements but symptoms can also occur from eating a tyramine-rich diet as well.

What are foods with tyramine?

Tyramine is usually prevalent in foods that are deliberately aged or have decayed. Dairy, especially cheeses like cheddar, gorgonzola and blue cheese, have a high content of this amino acid. Fermented foods are also loaded with tyramine. Some fermented foods and beverages include soy sauce, soybean, wine and beer.

What are foods lowest in tyramine?

If tyramine is found in aged or fermented foods, logically, it should be less in fresher food. You can substitute aged dairy with fresher cheeses like ricotta and cream cheese. You should also avoid milk and yoghurt that have gone beyond their expiry date.

Nuts, beans, fresh meat, fish, eggs, fruits and vegetables all have low content. The same is true for pasta, bread, rice and cereals.

Whether you include or eliminate foods with tyramine from your diet will depend on whether you are looking to benefit from it or avoid the symptoms it might cause.

Precautions and tips

If you would like to lower your intake, make sure you don’t leave foods in the fridge or kitchen cupboard for too long, even when they are frozen. Cooked food should always be eaten as soon as possible to prevent decay. Check food labels to make sure you do not eat them past their use-by date.
Eating decayed food to increase your intake is not a good idea. Rotten goods contain bacteria that can harm your health. Make sure foods are professionally aged and fermented if boosting tyramine is your goal.

If you experience symptoms that are usually associated with tyramine, consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis and tests. Since symptoms can be caused by many conditions, urine and blood tests are accurate ways of finding out if you need more or less tyramine.