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Tyramine intolerance - hidden allergy
Hello everyone, I am a 40 y. o. musician and I enjoy a healthy lifestyle ( balanced diet + daily exercise). My health is good except for a recently diagnosed intolerance to Tyramine. For ex. if i eat a few slices of salami on an empty stomach it will trigger an attack, which is always the same : i get a really fast heartbeat + increased blood pressure + nausea 15 mn after ingestion. Sometimes the heart palpitations last for 1/2 h ( 120-130 bpm), and the nausea + lightheadedness will last for a day, it depends on the type of food, if i am tired etc...
I am 99% sure the culprit is Tyramine, which is a natural amine found in all foods but much higher in foods that are aged, fermented, pickled ( salami, cheese, sauerkraut, smoked salmon, anchovy paste ), in foods that have been stored for a long time ( nuts, dried fruits) and also in overripe fruits like bananas, oranges and avocados.
The list of foods I was reacting to was so eclectic, I couldn’t find the link between them for a long time, it was very perplexing and scary and i lost a lot of weight.
I did a lot of research, started an elimination diet and asked many doctors before a neurologist mentioned the cheese migraine symptoms to me. Later I found a list of Tyramine loaded foods in which I recognized every single food that had triggered an attack after I ingested it. There is no test to confirm my theory but since I eliminated these Tyramine loaded foods from my diet I feel much better and less terrified of eating, and I am even putting some weight back on ( 112 lbs for 5’4”).
Soon hopefully I will feel strong enough to start reintroducing these foods into my diet in very small quantities to get myself desensitized, unless of course one day I wake up free of this strange condition that appeared for no reason and might disappear the same way.
I guess what is very puzzling to me is the fact that this sensitivity appeared out of the blue, that the symptoms are so violent and that I DO NOT get migraines. People who have problems with foods high in Tyramine usually are either migraine sufferers and/or on antidepressant ( MAOs).
I do not take any medication and my symptoms are always exactly the same 5 to 10 mn after ingesting the culprit food : tachycardia + hypertension + tremors + nausea and sometimes light headache when the attack is really bad. After having had about 14 attacks within the last 12 months it is such a relief to be able to eat again !
So I guess now my goal is to put the word out and ask as many persons as possible is they have ever heard of a patient with the same symptoms, which is why I posted this text.
Does anyone have the same symptoms or know anything about Tyramine ?
I am 99% sure the culprit is Tyramine, which is a natural amine found in all foods but much higher in foods that are aged, fermented, pickled ( salami, cheese, sauerkraut, smoked salmon, anchovy paste ), in foods that have been stored for a long time ( nuts, dried fruits) and also in overripe fruits like bananas, oranges and avocados.
The list of foods I was reacting to was so eclectic, I couldn’t find the link between them for a long time, it was very perplexing and scary and i lost a lot of weight.
I did a lot of research, started an elimination diet and asked many doctors before a neurologist mentioned the cheese migraine symptoms to me. Later I found a list of Tyramine loaded foods in which I recognized every single food that had triggered an attack after I ingested it. There is no test to confirm my theory but since I eliminated these Tyramine loaded foods from my diet I feel much better and less terrified of eating, and I am even putting some weight back on ( 112 lbs for 5’4”).
Soon hopefully I will feel strong enough to start reintroducing these foods into my diet in very small quantities to get myself desensitized, unless of course one day I wake up free of this strange condition that appeared for no reason and might disappear the same way.
I guess what is very puzzling to me is the fact that this sensitivity appeared out of the blue, that the symptoms are so violent and that I DO NOT get migraines. People who have problems with foods high in Tyramine usually are either migraine sufferers and/or on antidepressant ( MAOs).
I do not take any medication and my symptoms are always exactly the same 5 to 10 mn after ingesting the culprit food : tachycardia + hypertension + tremors + nausea and sometimes light headache when the attack is really bad. After having had about 14 attacks within the last 12 months it is such a relief to be able to eat again !
So I guess now my goal is to put the word out and ask as many persons as possible is they have ever heard of a patient with the same symptoms, which is why I posted this text.
Does anyone have the same symptoms or know anything about Tyramine ?
I am so sorry that you have these problems, but so grateful to have found your comments. I thought I was crazy, and my doctors aren't helping at all.
I, too have been to the ER numerous times, with tachycardia, severe nausea, and hbp. They got tired of seeing me. My symptoms are so scary, and I feel trapped. I don't feel so alone now...thank you.
I really hope you are doing better now.
I, too have been to the ER numerous times, with tachycardia, severe nausea, and hbp. They got tired of seeing me. My symptoms are so scary, and I feel trapped. I don't feel so alone now...thank you.
I really hope you are doing better now.
2 Comments
How are your adrenal glands? sometimes a Pheochromocytoma on the adrenals will trigger a hypertensive attack when tyramine rich foods are infested. Other triggers are stress and exertion. The most accurate test is a plasma free Metanephrines blood test. Good luck :)
*when tyramine rich foods are ingested
I am trying to figure out how to cure this. I too suffer hypertensive crisis from tyramine. I've read extensively on the subject and am now trying to find out how to restore MAO to my gut to break down amines and I am working to repair my gut. I am not sure if MAO is available commercially as a dietary enzyme but DAO, which breaks down histamine intestinally, is.
After eating peanuts and cheddar cheese with my lunch I suddenly had a terrible "sinus" headache. It was so bad that my top teeth were aching. It led me to google,do peanut and cheese cause headaches. I discovered they both have tyramine and if sensitive can cause someone to get headaches. The question also led me here in the hope to get more answers.....
To give you an idea what foods are considered "unsafe", I quote from Wikipedia:
"Tyramine occurs widely in plants and animals, and is metabolized by the enzyme monoamine oxidase.
In foods, it is often produced by the decarboxylation of tyrosine during fermentation or decay.
Foods containing considerable amounts of tyramine include meats that are potentially spoiled or pickled, aged, smoked, fermented, or marinated (some fish, poultry, and beef); most pork (except cured ham); chocolate; alcoholic beverages; and fermented foods, such as most cheeses (except ricotta, cottage, cream and Neufchâtel cheeses), sour cream, yogurt, shrimp paste, soy sauce, soybean condiments, teriyaki sauce, tempeh, miso soup, sauerkraut, kimchi, broad (fava) beans, green bean pods, Italian flat (Romano) beans, snow peas, edamame, avocados, bananas, pineapple, eggplants, figs, red plums, raspberries, peanuts, Brazil nuts, coconuts, processed meat, yeast, and an array of cacti."
So, once you have eliminated these foods from your diet, the rest might be considered "safe". But don't bet on it. Allergic reactions do not affect everyone in the same way.
"Tyramine occurs widely in plants and animals, and is metabolized by the enzyme monoamine oxidase.
In foods, it is often produced by the decarboxylation of tyrosine during fermentation or decay.
Foods containing considerable amounts of tyramine include meats that are potentially spoiled or pickled, aged, smoked, fermented, or marinated (some fish, poultry, and beef); most pork (except cured ham); chocolate; alcoholic beverages; and fermented foods, such as most cheeses (except ricotta, cottage, cream and Neufchâtel cheeses), sour cream, yogurt, shrimp paste, soy sauce, soybean condiments, teriyaki sauce, tempeh, miso soup, sauerkraut, kimchi, broad (fava) beans, green bean pods, Italian flat (Romano) beans, snow peas, edamame, avocados, bananas, pineapple, eggplants, figs, red plums, raspberries, peanuts, Brazil nuts, coconuts, processed meat, yeast, and an array of cacti."
So, once you have eliminated these foods from your diet, the rest might be considered "safe". But don't bet on it. Allergic reactions do not affect everyone in the same way.
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