Are eggs high in histamine?
Eggs are low in histamine: 14 eggs tested in Spain had none, and no putrescine, cadaverine or tyramine either. Four of ten published low-histamine diets still exclude them.
- Histamine
- Not detected
- Other amines
- Low
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
Why sources disagree. Fourteen eggs tested in Spain had no detectable histamine or other biogenic amines, but four of ten published diets exclude eggs, more than most foods without histamine.
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain 1 | Measured | No detectable histamine, putrescine, cadaverine or tyramine in 14 eggs. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 1 | 4 of 10 exclude eggs. | |
| Review of low-histamine diets, 2020 2 | Eggs are among the foods excluded by 20–60% of published diets. | |
| Clinical review, 2024 3 | Gives eggs as an example of a food low in histamine. | |
| SIGHI food list 4 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs sold in Spain 1 (Table 1) | 14 | not detected | putrescine, cadaverine and tyramine not detected; spermidine mean 3.61 mg/kg |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
Eggs had no amines in the survey, and none of the studies we use reports histamine forming in eggs during storage. Egg dishes are another matter: quiche, egg salad and other cooked dishes kept for days were not measured, and stored cooked food gives bacteria time to act.
No histamine or other amines in 14 eggs. (measured)
Not measured; storage time is the usual risk with cooked protein foods. (estimate)
Why we rate eggs 0
Eggs are one of the cleanest results in this guide. A University of Barcelona team tested fourteen eggs sold in Spain and found no histamine in any of them. They found no putrescine, cadaverine or tyramine either, the other amines that are sometimes blamed for histamine-like symptoms. Only spermidine and spermine, two related compounds called polyamines, were present.
The published diets do not match the measurements. Four of the ten low-histamine diets in the team's 2021 review exclude eggs, and an earlier review from the same group placed eggs among foods excluded by 20 to 60 percent of diets. The 2021 authors note that most foods without histamine are excluded by one to three diets, and they name eggs as one of five exceptions, along with chocolate, strawberry, pineapple and yogurt.
Some patient lists explain the exclusion by calling egg white a "histamine liberator", a food said to make the body release its own histamine. The 2021 review does not name eggs in its list of suggested liberators, and it states that no clinical study in humans supports the liberator idea for any food; the claim rests on a few inconclusive laboratory and animal studies. A 2024 clinical review goes the other way and gives eggs as an example of a low-histamine food.
We rate eggs 0, "low", and mark them disputed because of the lists. Fresh eggs cooked and eaten the same day match what was measured. Egg dishes kept for days were not measured, so we rate them one step higher as an estimate. Egg allergy is a separate condition from histamine intolerance and is not covered by this rating. If eggs seem to give you symptoms, a food diary and a conversation with your dietitian are the way to find out why; the measurements give no histamine reason for it.
Questions about eggs and histamine
Are egg whites high in histamine?
The study we use measured whole eggs and found no histamine. Egg white is often called a histamine liberator, but no study in humans has shown that any food releases the body's own histamine.
Are eggs allowed on a low-histamine diet?
Most published diets allow them: six of the ten in a 2021 review do not exclude eggs, and a 2024 clinical review lists eggs as low in histamine. If your dietitian has asked you to leave them out, follow that advice.
Evidence behind this page
- Fourteen eggs sold in Spain had no detectable histamine, putrescine, cadaverine or tyramine. 1
- Four of ten published low-histamine diets exclude eggs; the review's authors name eggs among five amine-free foods excluded more often than most. 1
- Eggs are among the foods excluded by 20–60% of low-histamine diets in the literature. 2
- There are no clinical studies in humans showing that any food releases the body's own histamine. 1
- A 2024 clinical review gives eggs as an example of a food low in histamine. 3
Sources
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? Nutrients 13(5):1395, 2021. doi:10.3390/nu13051395 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2021)
- Comas-Basté O, Sánchez-Pérez S, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla M, Vidal-Carou MDC. Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art. Biomolecules 10(8):1181, 2020. doi:10.3390/biom10081181 (Comas-Basté O et al. 2020)
- Jochum C. Histamine Intolerance: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Beyond. Nutrients 16(8):1219, 2024. doi:10.3390/nu16081219 (Jochum C 2024)
- Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI). Food compatibility list for histamine intolerance. histaminintoleranz.ch (accessed November 2026), 2026. Link (Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) 2026)