If You Get Migraines, RDs Recommend Monitoring Your Consumption of Foods (and Drinks) Rich in Tyramine

To find what these potential dietary don’ts are—and what tyramine is to start with—we consulted Dani Lebovitz, MS, RDN, a meals training professional and the founding father of Child Meals Explorers based mostly in Franklin, Tennessee.

What’s tyramine?

“Tyramine, a pure substance in our our bodies, helps handle blood strain and mind indicators,” Lebovitz explains. Deriving from the amino acid tyrosine, it’s additionally present in widespread meals and drinks. (It is in the identical chemical group because the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin.)

Whereas tyramine has an essential job in your physique, issues can get dangerous when you take monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), a category of medicines used to deal with melancholy and anxiousness. MAOIs assist regulate temper by blocking monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that removes neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine (stuff you want for steady temper ranges) out of your mind. However MAOIs additionally forestall the breakdown of extra tyramine within the physique—as a result of bear in mind, tyramine is expounded to these neurotransmitters.

Except you think or know for positive that tyramine is a set off for you, there’s no want to chop high-tyramine meals out of your food regimen.

Having a surplus of tyramine can result in complications, chest ache, and blurred imaginative and prescient, in addition to blood strain spikes which will require quick medical consideration. These taking MAOIs might keep away from sure meals¹, and identical goes for folks liable to migraines. And whereas tyramine consumption might be included in that, consultants warning in opposition to making dietary modifications with out consulting a educated dietitian or doctor. “It is all about how your physique processes tyramine,” she explains. “Slicing again on meals excessive in it may well make an enormous distinction in managing these situations.” However there aren’t any ensures, so communicate along with your healthcare supplier about tyramine-rich meals earlier than you forego pink wine or ramen with out purpose.

What meals include tyramine?

Talking of which: Plenty of meals include tyramine, however fermented or aged meals and drinks are inclined to have essentially the most tyramine. That is as a result of microbes convert tyrosine (the amino acid) into tyramine because the meals age². So the extra “aged” or fermented one thing is, the extra seemingly it’s to have plenty of tyramine.

Meals excessive in tyramine

Lebovitz says that the next meals are sometimes very excessive in tyramine:

• Aged cheese (corresponding to Parmesan, Swiss, Stilton, and Gorgonzola)
• Dry-cured meats (like salami or pepperoni)
• Pickled meals (like kimchi, sauerkraut, or pickles)
• Salt-dried seafood
• Liver
• Sure beans (like Haricot beans)
• Fish sauce
• Soybeans, tofu, and different soybean merchandise
• Miso

Alcohol can also be excessive in tyramine due to its strategies of manufacturing. “Alcoholic drinks like beer—particularly draught and craft beers—together with pink wines are recognized for his or her excessive tyramine ranges,” Lebovitz says.

When you’re attempting to keep away from high-tyramine meals and drinks, Lebovitz says you would possibly need to in the reduction of on espresso as a result of the impact of an excessive amount of caffeine (like complications and a racing heartbeat) can mimic these of tyramine. “Subsequently, people delicate to tyramine may additionally profit from moderating their caffeine consumption,” she says.

“Alcoholic drinks like beer—particularly draught and craft beers—together with pink wines are recognized for his or her excessive tyramine ranges,” Lebovitz says.

Low-tyramine meals

When you and your healthcare workforce discover that you may benefit from a low-tyramine food regimen, there’s no scarcity of wholesome meals to get pleasure from. Per Lebovitz, they embrace the next:

• Fruits: Apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums, and bananas that aren’t overripe
• Greens: Leafy greens, carrots, tomatoes, potato, zucchini, and turnips
• Dairy: contemporary milk, yogurt, and non-fermented cheeses corresponding to cream cheese, cottage cheese, and ricotta
• Protein: contemporary meats, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, canned legumes (excluding fava and broad beans)
• Complete grains: rice, pasta, and bread

As a normal rule of thumb, Lebovitz says you’ll be able to reach following a low-tyramine food regimen by consuming the meals above in a immediate method and taking note of how they’re saved and ready. “For contemporary produce, devour it inside a few days of buy. For canned or frozen meals, use them quickly after opening, too,” she advises. On the subject of contemporary animal proteins, she suggests consuming or freezing them the identical day of buy.

Ought to everybody restrict tyramine?

No, not everybody must stress about tyramine. Some folks might have to take additional care to restrict their consumption of tyramine meals based mostly on their well being situations and drugs. Others could also be extra delicate to it than others, and a few folks might course of it simply wonderful. Except you think or know for positive that tyramine is a set off for you, there’s no want to chop high-tyramine meals out of your food regimen.

It’s all the time greatest to seek the advice of your health-care supplier earlier than making any main modifications to your food regimen—particularly when you’re managing medical situations. “When you assume you might have a tyramine sensitivity, preserving a meals log could be a useful instrument to determine patterns and potential triggers,” Lebovitz shares. “Assembly with a dietitian [who can] supply customized steering may additionally be useful.”