star fruit
Fruit
Is star fruit high in tyramine?
Is star fruit high or low in tyramine? See its exact rating, how much counts as a portion, and its FODMAP, salicylate, oxalate and diet compatibility in one place.
Related checkers
Compare star fruit across criteria
Sensitivity notes
Why tyramine food checker matters
Tyramine is an amino acid that forms when proteins break down. It's found in aged, fermented, or spoiled foods. For people taking MAO inhibitors or those with tyramine sensitivity, it can cause headaches, elevated blood pressure, and other reactions.
- Choose fresh over aged, fermented, or preserved foods
- Eat protein foods fresh and store properly
- Be especially careful if taking MAO inhibitor medications
- Common high-tyramine foods include aged cheese, cured meats, and soy sauce
- Ripeness affects tyramine - choose less ripe fruits
Sensitivities
What star fruit contains
FODMAPs
Histamine & Amines
Plant compounds
Irritants
Additives
Allergens
Diet fit
Where star fruit fits
Therapeutic diets
Lifestyle diets
Religious diets
What to know about star fruit
Star fruit, or carambola, is the rare case where a food page has to start with kidney function rather than food chemistry. Two things about it are well documented. It is very high in oxalate, and large amounts of the fruit or of freshly pressed star fruit juice, particularly taken on an empty stomach or while dehydrated, have caused acute oxalate kidney injury in people whose kidney function was normal beforehand. Separately, it contains caramboxin, a neurotoxin that healthy kidneys clear but that builds up when kidney function is impaired. In chronic kidney disease, quantities as small as a single fruit or a glass of juice have produced intractable hiccups, vomiting, confusion, seizures and deaths, which is why nephrology guidance is that people with CKD and people on dialysis avoid star fruit completely rather than limit it. If your kidneys are healthy, the practical question is oxalate and portion size. On the rest of the trigger panel star fruit sits borderline rather than high: moderate for salicylates, and borderline for histamine, tyramine, sulfites, nickel and free glutamate.
Watch for
- Very high in oxalate.The cases of acute oxalate nephropathy in the literature involve a large quantity at once, usually juice, and often a fasted or dehydrated state, so a few slices with a meal is a different exposure from a tall glass of fresh carambola juice
- Contains caramboxin, which healthy kidneys clear and damaged kidneys do not.With chronic kidney disease or on dialysis, star fruit and star fruit juice are avoid-entirely foods, not moderate-the-portion foods
- Persistent hiccups after eating star fruit are the classic first sign of that toxicity, usually followed by vomiting and confusion.This is a reason to get medical advice, not to wait and see
- Juice concentrates the problem.Both the oxalate load and the caramboxin dose per mouthful are far higher in pressed juice than in the sliced fruit, and juice is what most of the reported cases involved
- Borderline rather than clean on the wider panel, including salicylates at a moderate grade plus histamine, tyramine, sulfites, nickel and glutamates.If you already stack several sensitivities, it is not a neutral fruit to fall back on
Explore related in Fruit
Compare similar foods to build a personalized list of swaps that work for your system.
Tyramine Guide
Everything you need to know about tyramine sensitivity and smart food choices.
Tyramine is an amino acid that forms when proteins break down. It's found in aged, fermented, or spoiled foods. For people taking MAO inhibitors or those with tyramine sensitivity, it can cause headaches, elevated blood pressure, and other reactions.
Sensitivity varies widely. What triggers one person may be fine for another. Track your reactions to find your personal threshold.
These foods are generally well-tolerated for Tyramine sensitivity:
View all safe options
These foods are high in tyramine and may trigger symptoms:
View full list
If you're sensitive to Tyramine, consider these strategies:
- 1Choose fresh over aged, fermented, or preserved foods
- 2Eat protein foods fresh and store properly
- 3Be especially careful if taking MAO inhibitor medications
- 4Common high-tyramine foods include aged cheese, cured meats, and soy sauce
- 5Ripeness affects tyramine - choose less ripe fruits
Pro tip: Keep a food diary to track your reactions. The Triggerbites app makes this easy with automatic pattern detection.
Want personalized tracking?
Download Triggerbites to log meals, track symptoms, and discover your unique triggers.
Get the AppFAQ
Is star fruit high in Tyramine?
Tyramine: moderate signal - portion size matters.
Can I still eat star fruit if I'm sensitive to Tyramine?
Try smaller portions and space it out.
What else should I check?
Check Oxalates, Reflux Diet, and Salicylates next for a fuller picture.