tuna
Seafood
Is tuna high in tyramine?
Find out whether tuna is high or low in tyramine, see its exact rating, and check its FODMAP, salicylate, oxalate and diet compatibility all in one place.
Related checkers
Compare tuna 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
Triggers
Diets
Serving size, prep, and portion notes for tuna
Tuna is the textbook scombroid fish. Its flesh is naturally packed with histidine, and when tuna is left out of the cold chain, bacteria convert that histidine into large amounts of histamine. The result is scombroid poisoning, or an easy trigger for anyone with histamine intolerance. The catch is that this histamine is heat-stable: it survives cooking, canning and freezing, so it is graded high in histamine here even though the fish is otherwise clean and strongly anti-inflammatory.
Watch for
High in histamine and the classic scombroid fish, so poorly chilled fresh tuna and older canned or opened tuna are frequent triggers for flushing, headache and hives / The histamine is heat-stable, meaning cooking, canning or freezing does not remove it once it has formed / Freshness and handling matter more than fresh versus canned: cold-chain-broken tuna of any form is the problem / Moderate salicylate and oxalate, minor secondary considerations only
Explore related in Seafood
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 tuna high in Tyramine?
Tyramine: low signal for most people.
Can I still eat tuna if I'm sensitive to Tyramine?
Usually fine in normal portions.
What else should I check?
Check Vegan, Vegetarian, and EoE Compatible next for a fuller picture.