# Why does cheese make me sweat?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 14, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458 "2010-05-14T19:08:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SurveyorAlpha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurveyorAlpha)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/1 "2010-05-14T19:08:31Z")
For some reason, cheese causes me to break into a cold sweat, most especially on my cheeks. This is usually caused by sharp cheddars, or a stout blue cheese. I have often wondered what it was that caused the problem, and I am wondering if anybody here has the same experience as me.
And on a somewhat related note, I seem to have developed an intolerance to drinking milk of late. I’ve never been a big fan of the taste of milk, and I stopped drinking it regularly about 7 years ago, replacing most of my milk needs with soy… and now if I drink it I tend to get gassy/loose stool/etc. Is it possible that I have lost the bacterial ability to process it with my limited use over the years? I never had any problems in the past. And if that is the case, is there any way to gradually build the tolerance back up?
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### Author:  [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/2 "2010-05-14T19:19:33Z")
No idea about the cheese-sweat, but how old are you? Many people gradually stop making the enzyme that breaks down lactose, becoming lactose intolerant as they hit adulthood.
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### Author:  [@SurveyorAlpha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurveyorAlpha)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/3 "2010-05-14T19:30:43Z")
I am 29.
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### Author:  [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/4 "2010-05-14T19:30:50Z")
> [@SurveyorAlpha](#):
>
> For some reason, cheese causes me to break into a cold sweat, most especially on my cheeks. This is usually caused by sharp cheddars, or a stout blue cheese. I have often wondered what it was that caused the problem, and I am wondering if anybody here has the same experience as me.
>
> And on a somewhat related note, I seem to have developed an intolerance to drinking milk of late. I’ve never been a big fan of the taste of milk, and I stopped drinking it regularly about 7 years ago, replacing most of my milk needs with soy… and now if I drink it I tend to get gassy/loose stool/etc. Is it possible that I have lost the bacterial ability to process it with my limited use over the years? I never had any problems in the past. And if that is the case, is there any way to gradually build the tolerance back up?
The enzyme is called lactase, and you can buy milk that is modified by addition of _L. acidophilus_ to be digested by people who lack proper levels of this enzyme.
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/5 "2010-05-14T19:45:22Z")
[Foods containing tyramine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foods_containing_tyramine)
[Physical effects and pharmacology](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyramine#Physical_effects_and_pharmacology)
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/6 "2010-05-14T19:46:02Z")
Lactose intolerance does not cause sweating as a symptom. This has never been reported in the medical literature.
You can buy lactose-free milk but the lactose is removed from the milk by the simple addition of lactase. No bacterial cultures are ever used.
Yogurt is sometimes called self-digesting because the cultures in it make their own lactase that digests the lactose that is natively present. However, the cultures in yogurt are Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. Most American yogurts have additional milk solids added so that you cannot be guaranteed that all the lactose will be digested. No matter. Yogurt is tolerated well by almost everybody.
There is a type of milk called acidophilus milk, and that is soured by the addition of L. acidophilus. In earlier times, this, like yogurt, was a sour product that was lower in lactose because of the conversion of lactose into lactic acid. Few modern supermarket acidophilus milks are this sour product today. It has been adapted for modern American tastes, just as yogurt has. You may find it in a natural foods store. However, there is no good evidence that it is much better for lactose intolerance than most regular milk.
Back to the OP. The symptoms are lactose intolerance are produced in two ways. One is by the loss of natural lactase. You can buy lactase pills in supermarkets or pharmacies. The other is by the accumulation in the colon of bacteria that ferment undigested lactose. Some people are helped by increasing the consumption of lactose-digesting bacteria. That can be done by eating yogurt with live cultures or by taking pills with these types of probiotic bacteria, which are also available at supermarkets or pharmacies. Some combination of these will help if lactose intolerance is the real problem.
The sweats I can’t explain by anything I know about dairy, though.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/7 "2010-05-14T19:57:04Z")
> [@Squink](#):
>
> [Foods containing tyramine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foods_containing_tyramine)
>
> [Physical effects and pharmacology](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyramine#Physical_effects_and_pharmacology)
If you are taking an Mao inhibitor then aged cheese is a restricted food.
If you are not, the tyramine content of cheese should not by itself cause symptoms.
But we’re getting into medical territory here. Without full knowledge of what underlying diseases the OP has or drugs being taken or all the other factors, I wouldn’t want to make guesses. If the sweats bother you, see a doctor.
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### Author:  [@SurveyorAlpha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurveyorAlpha)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/8 "2010-05-14T20:02:28Z")
I am on no medications of any kind, nor do I seem to be affected by any of the other foods listed on the Tyramine links above. I can eat soy products, yogurt, and all of the listed fruits… the only thing that seems to trigger it is strongly flavored cheeses. I don’t find the symptoms to be particularly distressing, I have just always been interested in what may cause it.
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/9 "2010-05-14T21:39:08Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> If you are not, the tyramine content of cheese should not by itself cause symptoms.
That’s not what some folk say:
[tyramine sensitivity](http://www.google.com/search?q=tyramine+sensitivity&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)
If you want to learn more, you might try getting a copy of this:[Biologically active amines in food: a review.](http://www.fstadirect.com/GetRecord.aspx?AN=1976-11-C-0523)
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/10 "2010-05-14T21:43:51Z")
> [@SurveyorAlpha](#):
>
> the only thing that seems to trigger it is strongly flavored cheeses.
Could be some other bioactive amine in your strong cheeses. They’re known for them:
[Extraction of bioactive amines from grated Parmesan cheese using acid, alkaline and organic solvents.](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WJH-4M27X06-1&_user=10&_coverDate=05%2F31%2F2007&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1335631588&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=930ae8a8d60d197dba989270344c0d57)
> [@](#):
>
> —spermine and spermidine—
> —putrescine and cadaverine—
> —tyramine and phenylethylamine—
> —tryptamine and serotonin—
Any one of them could be having an unusually strong effect on you.
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### Author:  [@rekkah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rekkah)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/11 "2010-05-14T23:16:00Z")
I can’t explain it, but I just wanted to say that I get this too. I get a kind of sweaty, tingling, flushed feeling on my face when eating cheddar (but not other milder cheeses). It’s worse the more mature the cheddar. Weirdly, I am also 29 and have only noticed this in the last year or two. I don’t have any symptoms of lactose intolerance though and can eat other cheeses tilt he cows come home with no trouble.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/12 "2010-05-14T23:16:40Z")
> [@Squink](#):
>
> That’s not what some folk say:
> [tyramine sensitivity](http://www.google.com/search?q=tyramine+sensitivity&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)
>
> If you want to learn more, you might try getting a copy of this:[Biologically active amines in food: a review.](http://www.fstadirect.com/GetRecord.aspx?AN=1976-11-C-0523)
Yes, some people do say that tyramines might be implicated in headaches and migraines. Some others blame it for a myriad of other symptoms. And that should be sending up an enormous red flag telling you to run away as fast as possible.
Headaches are not cold sweats. The implication that if a food or chemical is a possible cause of one problem it can simply be switched over to be a cause of another problem is one that plagues all writing on food intolerances on the internet. Please don’t perpetuate it.
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/13 "2010-05-14T23:30:13Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> Yes, some people do say that tyramines might be implicated in headaches and migraines. Some others blame it for a myriad of other symptoms. And that should be sending up an enormous red flag telling you to run away as fast as possible.
Not at all. Perhaps instead you should take a few biochemistry courses where they talk about the weird and wondrous effects of exotic amines. You did notice the peer reviewed refs before getting all dismissive and stuff, didn’t you?
Of course you did. Now if you’ve a _different_ worthwhile hypothesis, how about you quit bitchin about mine, and tell us all what yours is.
You haven’t got one, do you?
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/14 "2010-05-15T01:41:10Z")
> [@Squink](#):
>
> Not at all. Perhaps instead you should take a few biochemistry courses where they talk about the weird and wondrous effects of exotic amines. You did notice the peer reviewed refs before getting all dismissive and stuff, didn’t you?
> Of course you did. Now if you’ve a _different_ worthwhile hypothesis, how about you quit bitchin about mine, and tell us all what yours is.
> You haven’t got one, do you?
All right, then. Let’s get it on. 😃
You give three links.
Link number one: [tyramine sensitivity](http://www.google.com/search?q=tyramine+sensitivity&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)
That link goes to a Google search on the words tyramine sensitivity. You couldn’t do worse if you linked to quantum homeopathy.
Link number two: [Biologically active amines in food: a review.](http://www.fstadirect.com/GetRecord.aspx?AN=1976-11-C-0523)
That goes to an abstract. Here it is.
> [@](#):
>
> Biologically active amines are normal constituents of many foods and have been found in cheese, sauerkraut, wine and putried, aged, or fermented meats. These low mol. wt. organic bases do not represent any hazard to individuals unless large quantities are ingested or natural mechanisms for their catabolism are inhibited or genetically deficient. Tyramine, histamine, and phenethylamine, which can arise from enzymatic decarboxylation of the corresponding amino acids, are strongly vasoactive. Histamine, a capillary dilator, produces hypotensive effects, while tyramine and phenethylamine cause a rise in blood pressure. Phenethylamine has been implicated in the onset of migraine headache attacks. The occurrence, mechanism of formation, and catabolism of these compounds are reviewed.
It gives one, repeat one, symptom for tyramine and not the one in question. In addition it notes that it is not normally a hazard. Nor is there any reason to presume that the OP has the stated deficiencies.
Link number three:
[Extraction of bioactive amines from grated Parmesan cheese using acid, alkaline and organic solvents.](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WJH-4M27X06-1&_user=10&_coverDate=05%2F31%2F2007&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1335631588&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=930ae8a8d60d197dba989270344c0d57)
Another abstract. Here it is.
> [@](#):
>
> Ion-pair-HPLC, post-column derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde and fluorimetric detection is the method of choice for the separation and quantification of bioactive amines in foods. However, there is still no consensus on which methodology is the most appropriate for the extraction of the amines from different food matrices. The efficiency of chloridric, trichloroacetic, perchloric, sulfosalicylic and acetic acids, borate buffer, methanol and ethanol in the extraction of ten bioactive amines from grated Parmesan cheese was investigated. Extraction efficiency was affected by the levels of amines present in the sample and by the type, concentration and temperature of the extractor, and the method used. When selective extraction of amines from grated cheese was desired, the polyamines—spermine and spermidine—were better recovered by HCl; agmatine was better extracted by borate buffer or HCl; the aliphatic amines—putrescine and cadaverine—were more efficiently extracted by borate buffer and HCl; whereas the aromatic amines—tyramine and phenylethylamine—and the indolamines—tryptamine and serotonin—were better recovered with organic solvents. For the adequate extraction of most of the amines from the grated cheese matrix, 1.0 m HCl was chosen, providing good recoveries for most of the amines. Furthermore it is a relatively simple, inexpensive and rapid procedure.
This talks totally about detection techniques in laboratories. Not a word about effects on people, symptoms, or any other possible relevancy to this discussion.
He’s blinding us with science. [Magnus Pyke]SCIENCE![/Magnus Pyke]
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/15 "2010-05-15T03:12:21Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> All right, then. Let’s get it on. 😃
You’re going to have to get it on by your lonesome, because I don’t care to waste time with a guy who claims “tyramine content of cheese should not by itself cause symptoms”, and then when presented with such symptoms, tries to weasel them as some sort of mass hysteria effect.
There’s a lot of funny amines in hard cheeses, and people have idosyncratic reactions to them. This is well known. You’ve no better explanation to offer, and I’ve no desire to help some guy save his ego over the internet.
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### Author:  [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2010, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/16 "2010-05-15T06:44:30Z")
I’ve had the same problem (which has seemed to branch out to more than just cheeses, but cheese does it the worst) ever since I had a surgery (Endoscopic Transthoracic Sympathectomy). I believe it’s called gustatory sweating. What’s really weird is that I can get my forehead sweating just by thinking of cheese or imagining a dish like nachos (my face is flushing a bit just typing this post).
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### Author:  [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2010, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/17 "2010-05-15T07:33:14Z")
> [@Squink](#):
>
> You’ve no better explanation to offer, and I’ve no desire to help some guy save his ego over the internet.
Wow. Don’t you think you’re being whey too harsh?
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### Author:  [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/18 "2010-05-15T12:48:13Z")
> [@Autolycus](#):
>
> Wow. Don’t you think you’re being whey too harsh?
Cheese it with the jokes before the fuzz step in man.
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/19 "2010-05-15T14:19:29Z")
> [@Autolycus](#):
>
> Wow. Don’t you think you’re being whey too harsh?
Queso, you prefer it no quite so sharp?
OK, but puns grate on my nerves, so please curd your enthusiasm for Krafty wordplay. 😉
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cheese-make-me-sweat/539458/20 "2010-05-15T14:36:23Z")
Are there any bioactive amines in bad puns? 'Cuz I’m starting to get some symptoms…
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