Are sunflower seeds high in histamine?
Sunflower seeds are mostly low in histamine: none was detected in the 2 samples tested in Spain, but another small study found notable cadaverine, a related amine, at 22.58 mg/kg.
- Histamine
- Not detected
- Other amines
- Notable levels
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain 1 | Measured | No detectable histamine in 2 samples; putrescine averaged 0.50 mg/kg. |
| Other published measurements 1 | Measured | Two samples averaged 22.58 mg/kg of cadaverine and 3 mg/kg of putrescine; histamine was not reported. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets (2021 review) 2 | The review's chart has a bar for nuts, excluded by 2 of 10 diets, but none for seeds. | |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflower seeds sold in Spain 1 (Table 2) | 2 | not detected | putrescine mean 0.50 mg/kg (0.36–0.63); tyramine and cadaverine not detected |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
Sunflower seeds are sold dry. No study we use followed amines in them during storage, and the papers do not say whether the samples were raw, roasted or salted. Histamine is heat-stable, so roasting would not remove any.
No histamine in 2 samples; notable cadaverine in another study of 2 samples. (measured)
Not measured. Made from ground seeds; check the label for added ingredients. (estimate)
Why we rate sunflower seeds 1
Sunflower seeds are the only seed in the measurements we use, and the two small studies point in slightly different directions. A University of Barcelona team tested two samples sold in Spain and found no histamine, tyramine or cadaverine, and very little putrescine: 0.50 mg/kg on average, lower than any nut in the same table. Another study cited in the team's 2018 review also measured two samples. It reported 3 mg/kg of putrescine and 22.58 mg/kg of cadaverine, and did not report histamine. The review singles this out, naming bananas and sunflower seeds as the only foods in its fruit and nut table with a notable cadaverine content, and adding that the data came from only two samples.
Cadaverine is one of the amines that diamine oxidase (DAO), the gut enzyme that breaks histamine down, also handles, and some researchers think it can compete with histamine for that enzyme. The evidence for this is limited to old laboratory and animal studies, the most recent from 1985, which found an effect in rats when cadaverine and putrescine were present at four to five times the level of histamine.
The published diets say nothing about seeds. The 2021 review's chart of foods excluded by ten low-histamine diets has a bar for nuts, excluded by two of them, but none for seeds, and we cannot tell whether the diets that exclude nuts mean sunflower seeds too.
We rate sunflower seeds 1, "mostly low". Histamine was not detected where it was measured, which on its own would make them 0. One small study found an average cadaverine level above the 10 mg/kg point at which our scale moves a food up one step, so we take that step. Four samples in all is a thin base, and the rating could move either way with more data. Roasted and salted seeds and sunflower seed butter were not measured separately; histamine is heat-stable, so roasting would not remove any. Sunflower oil is a different product and is not covered by this page.
Questions about sunflower seeds and histamine
Are sunflower seeds low histamine?
Two samples tested in Spain had no histamine. Another small study found notable cadaverine, a related amine, so we rate them 1, "mostly low", rather than 0.
Is sunflower seed butter low in histamine?
It was not measured. It is made from ground sunflower seeds, so we give it the same estimate as the seeds, 1.
Evidence behind this page
- Two samples of sunflower seeds sold in Spain had no detectable histamine, tyramine or cadaverine; putrescine averaged 0.50 mg/kg. 1
- Another study cited in the same review found an average of 22.58 mg/kg of cadaverine and 3 mg/kg of putrescine in two samples; the review notes the figure rests on only two samples. 1
- Cadaverine and putrescine are also broken down by DAO; the evidence that they block histamine breakdown comes from in-vitro and animal studies, the most recent from 1985. 12
- Seeds do not appear on the 2021 chart of foods excluded by ten published low-histamine diets. 2
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)