Foods rich in tyramine

Biological functions of tyramine

Tyramine is the product resulting from the decarboxylation of the amino acid tyrosine.

Tyramine stimulates the secretion of catecholamines (dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline) and therefore has hypertensive activity (increases blood pressure).

Given its inability to cross the blood brain barrier, it is devoid of psychoactive effects.

Tyramine is produced during the normal metabolism of tyrosine and is found in various foods, including red wine, cheese, mushrooms, yeast, not very fresh fish and various types of fruit. It originates, in particular, from the fermentation and decomposition processes operated by some bacteria.

The release of norepinephrine from the neuronal vesicles, favored by the ingestion of tyramine, causes vasoconstriction and increases the heart rate; the result is a significant increase in blood pressure, up to the adrenergic crisis in the most severe cases. Regular exposure to tyramine of food origin indirectly improves tolerability to the substance, reducing the release of norepinephrine.The discovery of receptors with high affinity for tyramine in the kidney and other tissues also suggests a direct intervention of this substance in producing the known hypertensive effect.

Tyramine and Hypertension

In the human body, tyramine - whether of endogenous or food origin - is metabolized by monoamine oxidase, enzymes responsible for the neutralization of neurotransmitters such as adrenaline, dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin. There are drugs, the so-called MAO-inhibitors, which exhibit antidepressant properties dependent on the inhibition of these monoamine oxidases; therefore, a high dietary intake of tyramine in subjects treated with anti-MAO drugs can also produce quite serious symptoms, such as hypertensive crises accompanied by headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, palpitations, irritability and increased body temperature up to alterations of consciousness.

In people who do not use MAO inhibitors, the ingestion of foods particularly rich in tyramine seems to favor the onset of migraine.

Foods rich in tyramine and other biogenic amines

• Aged cheeses such as cheddar, gorgonzola, gouda, roquefort, brie, pecorino, gruyere.
• Not very fresh or preserved fish, such as herring, tuna, caviar.
• Sausage, sausages, game.
• Beer, red wine and fermented beverages
• Spinach, raspberries, tomatoes, sauerkraut, eggplant, kale, cauliflower, banana (peel), avocado, plums, figs, broad beans, tofu, tempeh, miso soup, yeast extract, chocolate, dried fruit and grapes.