Tzatziki Histamine Information

Tzatziki, a Greek dip or sauce, presents a complex profile when it comes to histamine levels. Key ingredients include yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, olive oil, and sometimes herbs and lemon juice. For yogurt, there's debate as some varieties, especially fermented dairy products, can have high histamine contents[1]. Yet, certain studies suggest that introducing probiotics, commonly found in yogurt, may help reduce histamine in the body[2]. Cucumbers are low in histamine and do not generally stimulate its release. Garlic, in contrast, is considered a histamine liberator[3] and so may elevate histamine levels. Like cucumber, olive oil is histamine-safe. Although lemon juice - when used - is citric and some citric fruits are known histamine liberators, there's no specific information mentioning lemon juice in this regard[4]. Given this, it's difficult to gauge conclusively the impact of eating Tzatziki on histamine levels. It’s a food that mixes both potential histamine-raising (yogurt, garlic) and histamine-safe elements (cucumbers, olive oil, and possibly lemon juice). As a whole, Tzatziki has not been researched well enough to publish any concrete information, our team is working hard on this. Data will be available soon. Sources: [1] Maintz, L, & Novak, N. (2007). Histamine and histamine intolerance. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85(5), 1185-1196. [2] Shah, N. (2000). Probiotic bacteria: selective enumeration and survival in dairy foods. Journal of Dairy Science, 83(4), 894-907. [3] Baraniuk, J. N., & Lett-Brown, M. A. (2005). Food sensitivity and the irritable bowel syndrome. [4] Vlieg-Boerstra, B. J., van der Heide, S., Oude Elberink, J. N., Kluin-Nelemans, J. C., & Dubois, A. E. (2005). Mastocytosis and adverse reactions to biogenic amines and histamine-releasing foods: what is the evidence?