Is strawberry high in histamine?
Strawberries are mostly low in histamine: tested samples had none, but 6 of 10 published low-histamine diets exclude them on the unproven idea that they release histamine.
- Histamine
- Not detected
- Other amines
- Low
- Liberator
- Claimed, unproven
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
Why sources disagree. No histamine and little of other amines in tests, yet six of ten published diets exclude strawberries, mostly on the untested idea that they release histamine.
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain 1 | Measured | No detectable histamine or tyramine in 9 samples; low putrescine. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 2 | 6 of 10 exclude strawberries. | |
| Histamine-liberator claim 2 | Listed among suggested histamine-releasing foods; no human study supports the claim. | |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strawberries sold in Spain 1 (Table 2) | 9 | not detected | putrescine mean 3.77 mg/kg (2.04–6.42); tyramine not detected |
| Range reported by other studies 1 (Table 4) | — | not detected | putrescine 2–6 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
Strawberries spoil quickly, but no study we found measured histamine in old strawberries. Eat them fresh and discard soft or mouldy fruit. Jam, dried and frozen strawberries were not measured.
No histamine detected; the caution comes from the lists, not the measurements. (measured)
Why we rate strawberry 1
Strawberries are excluded by more low-histamine diets than almost any other fruit, and yet when they are tested there is no histamine in them. A University of Barcelona team measured nine samples of strawberries sold in Spain and found no detectable histamine and no tyramine. Putrescine averaged 3.77 mg/kg, a low value. Other studies the team gathered agree: histamine not detected, putrescine between 2 and 6 mg/kg.
So why do six of the ten published low-histamine diets in their 2021 review exclude strawberries? The usual reason given is that strawberries are a "histamine liberator", a food said to make the body release its own histamine. Strawberries appear on the literature's list of suggested liberators alongside citrus, tomato, spinach, chocolate and pineapple. But the same review points out that the mechanism has never been explained and that no clinical studies in humans support it. The idea rests on a few laboratory and animal experiments, and the only extensive evidence review on the subject, by Vlieg-Boerstra and colleagues in 2005, found a lack of evidence for it.
That leaves two possibilities. Either the lists are cautious for no measured reason, or some people react to strawberries through a route that has nothing to do with their histamine content. Both are plausible. Food intolerance symptoms overlap, and reactions to strawberries can have other causes worth discussing with a doctor.
We rate strawberries 1, "mostly low", and mark the rating disputed. The measurements alone would put them at 0; the extra point of caution reflects that most published diets exclude them and that some people report reactions. If strawberries are a food you miss, they are a sensible early candidate to reintroduce with your dietitian, one food at a time, so you can tell whether they are a problem for you.
Questions about strawberry and histamine
Do strawberries release histamine?
That is the usual reason lists give for excluding them, but no study in humans has shown it. A 2021 review found the idea rests on a few laboratory and animal experiments.
Evidence behind this page
Sources
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Rabell-González J, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Biogenic Amines in Plant-Origin Foods: Are They Frequently Underestimated in Low-Histamine Diets? Foods 7(12):205, 2018. doi:10.3390/foods7120205 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2018)
- 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)
- 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)