• Tyramine is a vasoactive amine which promotes hypertension:
    • Causes the release of noradrenaline leading to elevated blood pressure
  • Tyramine is usually metabolised by monoamine oxidase (MOA-A)
  • In presence of monoamine oxidase inhibition, tyramine can accumulate
    • Particularly problematic when large amounts of dietary tyramine
    • Leads to dangerous levels of noradrenaline being released and subsequent hypertensive crisis
  • Foods rich in tyramine include:
    • Aged cheeses
    • Dried aged and fermented meat and fish
    • Marmite and sauerkraut