- Tyramine - effect on he alth. Drug interactions
- Tyramine in food. Where is tyramine found?
- Tyramine - tyramine content in foods
Tyramine is a substance that can occur naturally in food, resulting from the maturation of cheese or inadequate storage and deterioration of food. Tyramine can cause adverse reactions in the body after eating foods that contain even small amounts of it. Check what effect tyramine has on he alth, with which drugs it interacts and in which products it occurs.
Tyramineis an organic chemical compound belonging to the biogenic amines. It contains an aromatic ring in its structure. Its systematic name is 4-hydroxyphenylethylamine. Biogenic amines are formed naturally in living cells of plants, animals and humans as a result of biochemical changes.
They are also formed in food due to bacteria secreting decarboxylase enzymes. These enzymes cause the decarboxylation (removal of the carboxyl group) of amino acids, which results in the formation of biogenic amines. A high content of biogenic amines is found in fermented, long-maturing foods that are contaminated with microorganisms.
Tyramine - effect on he alth. Drug interactions
Tyramine can cause adverse reactions in the body after eating foods that contain even small amounts of it. Tyramine is absorbed in the intestines as well as in the mouth. Absorption in the oral cavity, bypassing the metabolism in the gut and with the involvement of the liver, occurs mainly in liquid foods.
The body of a he althy person is able to metabolize tyramine into compounds that do not cause side effects. The process of tyramine catabolism in humans takes place with the participation of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO).
Food with tyramine is a significant problem in the diet of people who take MAO inhibitors or have a congenital impairment of this enzyme secretion. Drugs that reduce MAO activity are mainly antidepressants and some antibiotics.
All biogenic amines, including tyramine, are associated with neurological function. They are believed to play a role in disorders in humans such as schizophrenia, depression, attention deficit and Parkinson's disease. Tyramine has a direct heart rate-increasing effect because it acts on nerve cells in the same way as noradrenaline.
It also raisessystolic blood pressure. It has been found to widen the blood vessels of the intestine, further increasing its absorption. Consumption of tyramine by hypersensitive people results in vasoconstriction and hypertension. Other possible side effects include:
- sweating
- headaches
- vomiting
- pupil dilation
- sensitivity to smells and noise
- dizziness
- diarrhea
There have even been reports of stroke among people taking MAO inhibitors after consuming tyramine-rich foods. An excess of biogenic amines ingested with food can cause various symptoms of food poisoning.
It is also suspected that in the acidic environment of the stomach, in the presence of nitro compounds (usually derived from meat preparations), tyramine is converted into 3-diazothyramine - a compound causing oral cancer.
Pressure spikes and migraine attacks after eating potentially tyramine-rich foods are among the most common complaints mentioned in hypersensitive people. They are documented by scientific publications. Clinical symptoms appear 30 minutes to several hours after tyramine ingestion and usually resolve within 24 hours.
Worth knowingIn the case of people who do not have any problems with the metabolism of tyramine, its safe dose taken at a time is 200 mg. This amount did not cause any negative he alth effects in the subjects. People with impaired MAO secretion react negatively after consuming 5 mg of tyramine at a time.
Tyramine in food. Where is tyramine found?
Tyramine can be found in fresh foods, but usually in small amounts. Its amount in food is influenced by the storage time, storage temperature and the content of the amino acid tyrosine, which is a tyramine precursor in decarboxylation processes carried out by bacteria in food. The main dietary sources of tyramine are:
- dairy products - tyramine is produced in dairy products made from pasteurized milk. Ripening cheeses, such as blue cheese or Parmesan, contain the most. There is much less tyramine in yellow cheeses. Yoghurts and kefirs, despite fermentation, do not contain tyramine almost at all
- meat and its products - an important source of tyramine in the diet are cold meats and long-ripening sausages, eg serrano ham, jamon, Black Forest, Polish sausage, chorizo, etc. In raw meat, the amount of tyramine increases significantly at the end of the shelf life. It provides more red meat than poultry. Tyramine is also found in fish, but the main biogenic amine in fish is histamine.Liver that has been stored for too long may contain very large amounts of tyramine
- fermented vegetables - sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers, kimchi, or Japanese pickled vegetables "urume-zuke" contain relatively little tyramine shortly after preparation. Its quantity increases with storage time
- sauces - fish and seafood sauces are an important source of tyramine. In contrast, soy sauces contain small amounts of it
- alcoholic beverages - different types of beer provide tyramine in significant amounts. White and red wines also contain tyramine, but in low concentrations
- Fruits and Vegetables - Most fresh vegetables and fruits are not a significant source of tyramine and contain less than 10 mg / kg. Its concentration increases with the maturation of products, and the basic vegetable source of tyramine in the diet is overripe fruit and vegetables. The most common is the soft avocado
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Tyramine - tyramine content in foods
Based on the analyzes, the tyramine content in some food products was determined. Its amount is expressed in mg / kg or mg / l in the case of liquid products.
| food product | mg / kg or mg / l |
| hard cheese | 89 |
| soft cheese | 440 |
| blue blue cheese | 2130 |
| canned anchovies | 56 |
| canned sardines | 13 |
| canned tuna | 160 |
| fresh tuna | 87 |
| fresh mackerel | 10 |
| smoked, s alted mackerel | 240 |
| smoked herring | 50 |
| fresh trout | 20 |
| smoked trout | 10 |
| smoked salmon | 10 |
| dried ham | 430 |
| pasteurized sausage | 93 |
| fermented sausage | 433 |
| fish sauce | 105 - 741 |
| sparkling wine | 0,2 |
| red wine | 6,5 |
| beer | 22,2 |
| avocado | 7.6 - 23.8 |
| bananas | 2,1 - 67,5 |
| peaches | 0.2 - 0.4 |
| kiwi | 0.2 - 18 |
| tomatoes | 0,1 - 7,1 |
| tomato paste | 1,4 - 12 |
| nuts, almonds | 0.5 - 2.2 |
| fruit and vegetable juices | 17.7 - 122.3 |
| fruit drinks | 1,2 - 9.5 |
| canned peas | 1.0 - 74.9 |
| canned beans | 0.7 - 2.2 |
| olives | 1.7 - 4.6 |
| sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers | 20.8 - 79.6 |
| yeast | 38.3 - 38.9 |
Aleksandra Żyłowska-Mharrab, dietician Food technologist, dietitian, educator. A graduate of Biotechnology at the Gdańsk University of Technology and Nutritional Services at the Maritime University. A supporter of simple, he althy cuisine and conscious choices in everyday nutrition. My main interests include building permanent changes in eating habits and individually composing a diet according to the body's needs. Because the same thing is not he althy for everyone! I believe that nutritional education is very important, both for children and adults. I focus my activities on spreading knowledge about nutrition, analyze new research results, and make my own conclusions. I adhere to the principle that a diet is a lifestyle, not strict adherence to meals on a sheet of paper. There is always room for delicious pleasures in he althy and conscious eating.
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