I like blue cheese. I like it a lot!
But when I eat it, it makes me sweat under the eyes.
Actually most strong cheese has the same effect on me.
When I mention this to people, 90% say this is impossible and accuse me of not knowing my own bodily functions.
But 10% say it also happens to them.
So…. does strong cheese make you sweat under the eyes?
note: The Naked Scientists gives a possible explanation here.
I Am The Cheese 
I think it is bleu cheese haha
But blue cheese might definitely make you sweat under the eyes.
I just mentioned that I was having a “cheese sweat” to my girlfriend, assuming it happens to everybody and she’d never heard of it so I looked it up on Google…
Pod: I can’t believe I am one of the top 10 entries that come up under “Cheese Sweat” on Google!
This is a very special day for me.
note: Strong cheese still makes me sweat; you are not alone.
This has happened to me for years much to the ammusment of my friend. Have any fellow cheese sweaters found and answer to why this happens yet?
r mason: here’s a link to a probable answer:
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/questions/question/1483/
This happens to me also. When I eat cheese I almost instantly sweat each side of my nose below my eyes. Done some googling, and now I am worried about Diabetes….
bpx: It’s a natural reaction … for some. If you are worried about Diabetes, go get tested and put your mind at ease.
I can’t believe i found this, i was just watching the apprentice on bbciplayer eating some cheddar and noticed the skin underneath my eyes sweating….how weird is that? hello fellow cheese sweaters haha
Andy: you are not alone. There should be a club we can join … with cheese … and face towels.
Thanks for stopping by.
Well I am at work, and the guy across from me is eating a Greek chicken wrap with Feta Cheese. I get these sweats on the sides of my nose and under my eyes a lot lately when I just think about eating certain foods. I don’t even necessarily have to be eating them for the reaction to occur. I haven’t found anyone commenting on this happening. This usually always used to happen when I ate Pizza or spicy foods.. but lately the thought of a lot of different foods is inducing this reaction. I’m not quite sure what my problem is. I went to Moe’s Southwestern grill, and just thinking about the taco i was about to eat made me start sweating under my eyes and on both sides of my nose. Now my co-workers greek chicken wrap is in causing this same reaction.
Daniel Dudek: I don’t know what would cause the sweating while just thinking about food, but it probably isn’t something you should worry about.
Go to a doctor if you’re really concerned.
Pizza places and Moe’s Southwestern grill are chain restaurants: maybe you are suffering a “chain reaction“. hee hee!
Don’t worry about Diabetes too much. Cheese has done this to me for years and years. It’s not uncommon. But it’s true – most people think you’re making it up. So I eat some cheese and make them watch – ha ha. We finished soon after that. Don’t know why 🙂
Ok, this happens to me too. I’ve been doing some research…. how many people here have light eyes and or light skin or freckles and how many of you turn easily red in like gym class? Also, how many of you sneeze in the sun?
Sarah: I have light eyes, not many freckles and do sneeze occasionally in the sun. I didn’t turn red in gym class and am possibly light skinned compared to dark skinned people. Am I going to live?
I’ve got light skin and eyes. I’m also covered in freckles but I don’t sneeze in the sun and cheese doesn’t make me sweat.
But…… just thinking about work, makes me sweat.
Tried to explain this was happening to my husband and he thought I was mad! So thanks for these posts! I feel normal (?!) again!
Holy crap! I’m not alone! Ha ha!
So, on any given occasion when I’ll be at a fast food joint (Carl’s Jr seems to be a MAJOR culprit!) I’ll have a stack of napkins. Some to wipe the ketchup, ranch and fry sauce off of my face, but mostly to continually wipe away uncomfortable cold sweat that appears below my eye sockets and on the sides of my nose with each bite.
Yea, my friends laugh at me while I wipe my face and forehead over and over while trying to enjoy my greasy double bacon cheeseburger, but I gotsta do what I gotsta do!
This has been going on for my entire life, and no matter how much I eat (and sweat from my face) it hasn’t killed me yet, so I doubt it’s any concern, just kinda ridiculous!
I’ve tried to rule it to only cheese, but it seems like some fried foods (that don’t contain cheese) can pull off the eye socket water works as well. Fry sauce alone does it, but don’t go thinking that dairy alone is the problem either. A crunchy gas station burrito with beans and no cheese can have the same effect.
Anyone else get super uncomfortable? Like the sweat is cold and weird feeling? Almost like your face isn’t so much ‘sweating’ as it is ‘greasing’? Ugh, grease pouring out from your sweat glands, there’s a happy thought! 🙂
So to answer the other questions, I am a white man, blue eyes, no freckles. I did, however, have a crazy acne problem growing up and into my early twenties. I had nodular (cystic) acne that had to be controlled with accutaine. The drug dried me up so badly that I had to apply eye drops hourly, and chap stick every twenty minutes otherwise my lips would start peeling and turn white. It was a blast! But after 6 months of that wonderful experience my acne disappeared and has not returned yet (minus a few lip pimples from those dreaded deep fried tacos at Jack in The Box).
Who knows what the cause is? I sure don’t, but I know it won’t kill ya!
Thanks for the comments!
I’ve missed replying on a few comments, so from most recent to least:
Steve Cash: that was a lengthy reply! thanks. I’m not the one doing research on this: I’m just a member of the “under the eye sweat club” as well.
I should file this under “I”. hee hee!
R: you are not alone. Did that sound ominous? … I was going for ominous.
razzbuffnik: hey! this area is for “Cheese Sweaters” … but not the kind people put on when it gets cold. hee hee!
Dave: it’s like a party trick or something!
… but probably not as cool as shooting milk out of the eye … or shining a light in one ear and having the beam shine out of the other one!
I too have had this since a young kid. Only really strong ‘good’ cheese does this to me. A really strong vintage cheddar will make the area under either side of the bridge of my nose break into a ‘pore’ sweat. Weak, ‘rubber’ or processed cheese does not have any affect at all.
My father had exactly the same reaction, also only with certain strong cheeses.
just always assumed I had a good nose for cheese 🙂
cheezygrin: thanks for stopping by.
You are not alone.
I’m quite surprised how many people have left a comment on this over the last year and a half.
Yes i get this. Whenever I eat cheese or mayonnaise, my nose sweats profusely! I am half asian so it could be something to do with that, although I do not seem to have a lactose intolerance as can eat all other dairy fine.
And there I was thinking I was *even more* wierd. Keep up the replies/comments guys!
25 year old from Swansea UK, just finished eating a nice piece of proper mature cheddar…yum. Always had that warm/cold :s greasy feeling on the top part of my cheeks, under my eyes, when eating cheese. Glad to know it looks like it’s probably not caused by some devastating illness. I’m just a cheese sweater. Perfectly normal. Apparently. :s
Bob Foster: welcome to the cheese sweater center/centre.
Tam: thanks for stopping by. I haven’t heard about mayonnaise doing that before, but I’m sure it’s perfectly normal.
Pod: I see you are keeping up with this one.
As another sufferer, I can confirm that eating cheese with a UK strength rating of 3 or more does exactly the same to me; IE sweat under the eyes and around nose. Extra mature ‘smelly sock variety’ makes this occur within 10-20sec of eating said smelly item.
This happens me when i eat baked beans.
Hello fellow cheese sweaters! This has been happening to me forever, but has recently got worse. I have type 1 diabetes (if that matters) and I also get it the worst when I eat strong cheese. I’ve discovered that it’s now happening when I consume anything with strong flavours and wierdly chocolate too. Salt and vinegar crisps, fresh orange juice, curries, the list goes on. On occasions, when the most vintage of cheeses is being eaten, the sweats can spread to my forehead and a little on the back of my neck. I think it’s important to point out that my sweats are not the pouring exercise type, but just more of a clammy layer. God, I’ve just made myself sound like the illest kid in the world!
Sarah – I have dark brown eyes and a shed load of freckles/moles.
Happy sweating folks, I’m off to eat some cheese…..
Whenever I eat strong Cheddar or really ripe Stilton my cheekbones light up and I feel like I’m wearing steam-filled goggles. I get the same effect with dark chocolate, too, but this seems to affect my forehead as well.
I’m a mix of dark Scottish Celt, Anglo Saxon, Southern French,Baltic coast Polish and German. Tall, medium build, dark hair, go very dark in the sun, no freckles, greeny brown eyes. I think it comes from my Anglo Saxon granny as my uncle has it too and she is the only relation we share (Mum’s half brother).
Happy sweating!
Interesting what Bendyminge (what a WONDERFUL name!) says about a possible link to type 1 diabetes.
I’ll have to ask my Dad who is a diabetes sufferrer if he gets it too…
Oh my gosh I DO TOO! I have been searching for something that helps me to understand this strange happening and maybe someone who experiences it just the same. Its weird I totally have the same symptoms when I eat goat cheese, fresh mozz and just now a little when I ate cottage cheese. I love all cheese so Im not gonna stop now. But it is kinda embarrassing for me. Oh all, anything for the love of cheese.
Rach
Sweat under my eyes I mean..
Amazing. I love cheese and eat way too much. I also sweat under my eyes each time I eat cheese. I am so pleased to be part of such a distinguished group of cheese sweaters.
the Gonz, Rachel, Pod, Bendyminge, qm, and JR:
thanks for all the input, interest, and comments.
I have what seems to be a similar affliction, but I wouldn’t call it “sweating”. My cheeks in that area get cool and clammy after eating only one kind of cheese: Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese. Concerned about my reaction, I called Kraft, the manufacturer of the cheese, and asked them if they had heard of anyone else having the same reaction. They said they had never heard of it, and they sent me 5 coupons for free bricks of their cheese. Someone told me several years ago about food allergies, and that you crave the foods that you are allergic to, which makes perfect sense in my case.
Yeah, it happens to me too when I eat Mature Cheddar.
I have this same affliction… but not with cheese. For me, it happens only with grapes, especially if I eat them quickly. Anyone else experience the eye sweats with fruit??
Unfortunately, my Google search hasn’t turned up any grape-eye-sweat support groups. 😦
@WillK – hilarious that Kraft sent you coupons for more cheese.
In general: my dietitian wife informs me that eye sweats are NOT an allergic reaction, and research shows that people usually have aversions to the foods they’re allergic to. It’s really uncommon to crave an allergenic food.
I’ve had this for as long as I can remember. Within about a minute of eating cheese, I can feel a cold sweat under my eyes. The stronger the cheese the more the effect. I get exactly the same when I eat chocolate. I thought it was only these two things but have just taken a Gingko Balboa food supplement for the first time and exactly the same thing happened!
w ent looking for info on cheese sweats. Found your site. Are we the chosen ones? I too had it as long as i can remember, thought it was normal because same thing happened to my dad. I find it a pleasurable feeling, and i am gonna email kraft for my tokens because kracker barrel does it for me.
YEAH!! I’ve been trying to find other people that this happens to for a while! Why is there no research to be found if it seems to be relatively common? (now that I’ve found “the cheese sweaters”) I get it with almost any kind of cheese but especially sharp cheddar. My face gets hot and really damp. So awkward!
lol lol lol……….my friend told me about this one time……i didn’t beleive him until it happened to me not long after……….i then told someone else who also didnt beleive me………until they too had the “cheese whitey”. Spread the word cheese munchers and it might catch on.
Hi I’m in Canada and I get something very similar to this, I don’t really get sweaty when I eat cheese, well maybe once in a blue moon. Mostly I get really red and hot in the face within a minute of eating block cheese such as cheddar and mozzerella. Sometimes my forehead sweats a little. My bf watched my face turn colour the other day and was absolutly amazed how fast it happened.
I have lots of freckles and moles and I’m a white woman with brown hair, my skin isn’t dark but it’s not pale either.
I have to say I have read this with both interest and hilarity.I only have to talk about cheese, handle cheese before I have a tingling sensation on my cheeks big time..the stronger the cheese also when eating the worse it is..Someone posted they get it with chocolate..me too but not so extreme as cheese but also with dry roasted peanuts sometimes!! I will not stop eating cheese coz I love it. I am actually breaking into a tingly cold sweat now by writing and thinking about it….Wot a hopeless case!!! Good luck all us cheese sweaters!! xx
WillK, Ferkahhan, Justification, Ian, steve, Kat, Shell, Chelle, and wendie travers:
Thanks for all the comments!
I never thought I’d get this many comments from Cheese Sweaters.
You are not alone.
Happy sweating!!!
Never heard of this affliction. I love cheese too much, to sweat when I eat it! that’s a rather unfortunate side effect.
I’m a “cheese sweater”, too. I was out looking for causes when I found this page. Its happened just recently. Mine is really bad, starts under the eyes, then consumes my entire head and neck and wont go away until the cheese has digested. It started with swiss cheese about 6 months ago, now I cant even have a slice of american.
It’s really uncomfortable and I am going to have to cut all cheese out because I cant stand it. Total bummer, it was the one “treat” I allow myself, and now I cant have that!
I have it really bad n scary weird but never really noticed if cheese did it with me peanut butter and fast food n fried food make me feel like im dying but I eat peanut butter just about everyday but its been getting worse the past few months 1st bite instantly my face feels cold but hot same time sweaty n clammy and can literally fell every pore in my face now with fast food like McDonalds or fried chicken from Popeye’s instantly I feel like im gonna black out it hurts so bad my whole body lights on fire and starts tingling my stomach n throat too I can feel every hair on my head and it is like a painful numb tingling then dizziness sets in and tunnel vision plus some weird feelings I cant explain and I have to grab hold of whatever is close to keep from falling n blacking out and it is super scary but when I ask people in tell about it I get looked at like im nuts even when people see it happened it scares them my cousin said my eyes even rolled in back my head but there’s no explanation on why it happens or what just no info most doctors just are mind blown n cant help because they dont know n have never heard of or seen and just send on marry old way since test are inconclusive please some1s help what should I do is there some kind of special research or dr’s out there somewhere willing to study and get to the bottom of this situation and I thought I was alone but reading here there’s all kind of people suffering in numerous different ways
wow, this is really interesting. I have always sweat under my eyes after eating good cheese (extra sharp cheddar, sharp cheddar, cheddar). I love the feeling cuz it’s cooling. I especially notice it after a heavy night of drinking, and i always crave cheese the next morning. I am glad I am not alone in this cheese sweating mystery. No one believes me about this phenomenon. Thanks fellow cheese sweaters.
Amy and Manny: thanks for the comments. You are not alone!
sweetiegirlz: it’s not a bad side effect really. It’s just an odd sensation. I’d put it in the horseradish/wasabi category of things.
has anyone asked a doctor what it is that causes this? maybe it’s something we can fix.
McDonalds Quarterpounder w/cheese gives me the sweats every time.. but i just googled cheese sweats while i was eating some strong chedder cheese on toast and got the classic cheese sweat!!
Myself and a work mate are cheese sweaters,thought it was amusing/strange.So decided to research,and found we are not alone :-).
Cheshire cheese for me,Any mature for me mate.
Keep the faith..
My friend sweats from the hands and forehead when she just talks about cheese. When she was young the doctor said she had a psychological issue and they did “hand shock treatments” where she would put her hands into this machine and shock them to correct this problem. (this insane idea did not work)
I as well have a reaction to cheese…I get very hot and it is generally only cheddar. My entire body becomes hot and my hands are on fire. They get so hot I run them under water to cool them off. My hands do not sweat…so I think the reaction is that they are trying to sweat…but cant. Very uncomfortable.
Anyway….I have done a lot of research and I think it may be the artificial color added to cheddar cheese. Either way…cheese is weird, but it tastes soo good.
Chelle, Marky, Wayne, and Thinker: thanks for the comments.
You are not alone. We should have “cheese sweaters” to wear around … or something. hee hee!
OMG, cute! I totally want a “cheese sweater” LOL
jokes. i get the sweat on wen eating cheese. stronger it is more the sweat. not even a great deal of sweat forms but just feel it in the face lol. BIG UP the sweaty cheese eaters!!!
a cheeese rush,its great and whats more its legal!everyone should have a cheese dealer on speed dial……haha
I get the “cheese sweat” on the cheek bones whenever I eat mature cheddar. I’ve been suffering for the last couple of years or so.
I don’t recall other cheeses causing the problem or whether mild cheddar has an effect (I don’t consider mild cheddar proper cheese so don’t eat it that often).
I’ll have to carry out a study on myself to see which cheeses in which quantities cause the sweat. And does heating the cheese have an effect? (I’ve definitely never had the problem when eating pizza for example).
Yup – I share the shame. White male, 30, hazle eyes + freckles. Had the sweats since I can remember. I do find that sunlight makes me sneeze sometimes also… does anyone get the same reaction with vinegar (sweats – not sneezing) ?
Nuke22 – I get it when I have vinegar, in fact anything with strong flavours (see my previous post). Wierd.
i get the chease sweats instanly from eating the hard block cheeder type cheese, the sliced cheese you get from mcdonalds in thier burgurs doesn’t have the cheese sweat effect on me,
its nice and funny to find out im not such a cheese freak after all, and others share this pleasure too, as i see it as a pleasure, as i also feel a mild euphoric rush when eating just the smallest amount of cheese, instantly too … who needs drugs when you have cheedar lol
Found this site because I googled “Cheese Sweat” after my husband told me last week that this happens to him. He was just eating a piece of cheddar and it happened again. So I did what any good wife would do, I turned to the internet for answers! It’s very interesting to see that it’s so common. He also added that it doesn’t happen when he eats cheese that’s been cooked. Odd.
I actually quite enjoy the sensation of a cheese sweat….
I’m chuckling to myself as I write. I also had no idea that other people experienced this too. I’m like one other person way above in the thread, it’s not so much a sweat as a “grease”. Not extreme or visible, but a “flushed” feeling in my cheeks and need to wipe my face.
Thanks for all the comments.
I have to say this post has taken on a life of its own. I really didn’t think so many people got the “cheese sweats“.
I’ve finally changed the cheesey picture I had up there with one more suitable … and cheesier.
You are not alone in your cheese sweatiness!
Amazing, I too get the dreaded ‘cheese sweats’. I thought it was just me and have massively cut down on cheese because i decided it was probably having other adverse affects, now i realise I’m not alone, I think i might go have a whole wheel of cheese!
PS
I only get it raw cheese, not cooked. Usually notice it most with cheddar.
Sweat on ‘Cheese Sweaters!’
Wow I am in great company of cheese sweaters! I don’t have light eyes or light skin but I do sneeze at the sun and sweat when I eat cheese. In fact, I just had a pizza for lunch and commented to my bf how cheese makes me sweat but he just doesn’t care.
Cheese makes my temples tingle. It feels kinda good. It’s had the same affect on me all my life and happens most commonly and most strongly with sharp cheddar.
Wooly, CheeseSweaterFromFlorida, and Jenny Pruim:
Thanks for leaving comments.
Our numbers are growing! You are not alone!
Just searching the net for cheese tingle/sweats, and came across this site. I’m shocked that more of you don’t get or mention the tingles as well. Only saw two people, wendie travers and Jenny Pruim who mention this. The tingles is the first symptom for me. As soon as I bite down on the cheese, I get a really wierd prickly feeling that goes from my temples right down to my jaw line. feels strange, but I like it. Then the cold sweats under the eyes start. Again like most of you on here, I find this mostly occurs with strong/mature cheeses.
Anymore tinglers out there? I feel quite sorry for you if you don’t tingle, it’s really nice.
You and I have the same response to sharp cheeses — the tingles in the temples, as we both mentioned, and I failed to mention what you did: the cold sweat under the eyes. So interesting! I wonder what proportion of the population we represent, what common trait we have.
hi guys. i cheese sweat real bad and my whole face goes red too. had it for years and thought i was special, guess not, lol.
blessed are the cheese sweaters, for they shall inherit the earth.
Wow, I am not the only cheese sweater! I’ve had this problem for years now, mainly I notice it in sharper cheeses. I was just eating a spoonful of peanut butter and I had the same reaction, so I decided to look it up online since anyone i’ve ever mentioned it to looks at me like i’m crazy. I agree with the “greasy” feeling on the cheek bones below the eyes. I’ve never actually seen sweat show up on my face, instead it just feels like a cold clammy sweat across my cheeks. I am thrilled to know i am not alone in cheese sweating.
So I just got back from a weekend trip to the Holiday Inn next to Cheese Haven in Port Clinton, Ohio (a must see for cheese lovers) and brought home a four year old cheddar. As I was eating it, I started face sweating. This has always happened to me, but I guess I really never really thought about why….I like the feeling and I also get it when eating A1 Sauce. It’s really interesting that there are so many people who have the same symptoms, but no one has a clue why?? Some other common traits I have are freckles and a family history of diabetes….but I am not going to worry too much about it because I LOVE cheese! Sweat On!
My comments go under, under eyes sweating ! All my adult life I’ve had this everytime I eat GREASY and/or FRIED foods. The reaction is immediate. Yesterday I ate at a Chinese self-serve restaurant … another off limits place to add. Prevention? Stay away from heavy foods that overload the liver.
I get this reaction under my eyes after eating sour foods such as grapefruit or sauercraut or anything with a lot of vinegar.
This is so crazy! I was beginning to really think something was wrong with me. I’m just relieved and glad to hear that other people are experiencing the same thing I am. I’ve brought it up before to my fiance and he just acts as if it’s the weirdest thing he’s ever heard. I read about what the cause could be but I don’t take any MAOIs and I never have, but as long I can remember I’ve got a cold sweat under my eyes on the sides of my nose. My glasses start to slip off my face when it starts.
I get a flushed face and start sweating immediately after starting to eat or drink anything made with most citrus fruits (navel oranges are the lone exception) or things with a sour element, like certain vinegars, tomato sauces, red wines, even chocolate sometimes. But I don’t get that reaction with ANY kind of cheese, no matter how strong! Weird! It only lasts a minute or so but is highly uncomfortable and a little embarrassing, not to mention inconvenient, because I end up wiping off all my makeup LOL
I have light skin, green eyes, no freckles – and not only do I sneeze whenever I step into direct sunlight but also when I feel a cold breeze, though that may mean I’m just sensitive to sudden temperature changes or something.
Does anyone have any idea why that flushing/sweating reaction happens??
Forgot to add that YES my face always gets red when I exercise, too!
When i eat strong cheese and chocolate ( not together) i get a cold sensation .. feels like its between my skull and skin … like a cold tingly fingertip massage right down my head .. and i do feel a little moist under and my eyes and the sides of my nose — i red a comment earlier about going red in gym … I run around alot and i do go very red 😀 …i think its funny tho.. …Soo woop ???
anyone else having these cold tingly symptoms ?
I get this also. A strange cold sweat under my eyes and tops of cheeks. It really only happens when I eat just plain old raw cheese. I can eat pizzas and sauces no problem. Its usually when my Dad forces cheese and crackers on me 😀
Sarah – I sneeze in the sun real bad. Not particularly pale or freckley though.
My name is Mikey X and I am… I am…, yes, I confess, I am a cheese sweater. There. I said it. Have been my entire life and realize I always will be. I have admitted it to myself, I DO enjoy doing cheese. The tingly sensation. The clammy cool sensation. The better (the HARD stuff) the cheese the quicker the sensation, the stronger the rush. Pure Pleasure. Flushed with excitement. It isn’t visible, I partake in anonymity, alone in a crowd, such is the nature of my disease that others can’t see it and call me crazy when I dare share my secret addiction affliction. Suddenly I am aware of my cheek bones as my consciousness expands infinitely into the universe and beyond. Only rookie users try cooking up a batch of the stuff in a cheese lab, because the thrill is gone then. Some pushers peddle highly adulterated stuff…oil patties on so-called “cheese” burgers at McDonalds, in cans of cheese whiz…but there’s no buzz in that stuff…stay away from it.
Kraft Cracker Barrel extra sharp was my gateway cheese, but now I only do 7 -year cheddar. I get my fix from my dealer — Yaggi’s Cheese House near route 77 in Ohio on old Rt. 21. Go down underground to their door around back, do the secret knock and tell them Mikey sent you. They’ll fix you up.
To avoid withdrawal I can get by with only their sharpest swiss if the cheddar supply has been interrupted. Sometimes, on long weekends, I’ll mix the two synergistically, since I have time enough to sober up in time for work.
Some say it’s a genetic disease. Maybe so. My children are already hooked. For 20 cents more a pound, my pusher cuts my fix up into cute little cubes and my kids got into it once when I forgot and left a bag in the open in my car. That doesn’t make me a bad parent does it? Does it?? Oh the agony of knowing I couldn’t stop this thing in my generation.
I first noticed this happening to me a few years ago – it tends to be with mould-type cheeses and mature cheddars – I suddenly flush in the cheeks after a while. I don’t sweat anywhere else, just the cheeks. It’s really weird! Had it once at Wagamama when having a noodle soup that was coconut milk-based, and I actually felt ill, which is strange because I have coconut milk curries I make at home, and I’m fine, so maybe it was another additive.
There’s loads of people out there who get this. I think our foods are so tampered with, it’s hardly surprising.
Streptococcus lactis—I found this site while searching for the reason my face goes cold when I eat too much peanut butter. All these comments got me curious so I researched some. I have to eat a lot of cheddar for the cold to come over my face. No sweating, just cold. Now I’m thinking eww, I may give up the cheese. I have often wondered if there is a connection with what’s put in the cheese to migrains. After reading a site on what the culture is that makes the milk become cheese, yeah, I think I’m done with cheese. Good luck guys, hope it’s nothing harmful happening to us all!
Wow – so happy to find other cheese sweaters! I thought I was all alone in the world;) I sweat to sharp mature cheeses and nut butters, too. But not to melted cheese or to plain nuts or to highly processed peanut butters – Jif, etc. For me the eye sweating includes a bit of an uncomfortable heady feeling as well so I tend to avoid those foods.
For Sarah: Pale, freckly, blue eyes, turn red at the gym, sometimes sneeze in the sun – yep, all the above.
Happy eating and sweating to y’all…
Hello! I’m a pale, easily-blushing, freckly, blue-eyed, sun-sneezing cheese tingler. I hope I can join in even though I don’t technically ‘sweat’, just tingle (but it is a tingle of the impressively strong and fast-acting type). Maybe I can form a subset…
I mentioned being a cheese sweater to my doctor when I was there about another problem (you do not want to know). The solution to my cheese sweats from my doctor? “Stop eating cheese”. Wow, gee thanks, doc. All those years at med school really paid off.
Just an addit, fellow cheese sweaters… i think the reaction is unlikely ti be sympathetic nervous system response activated by tyramine. My reasoning is that localised facial sweating is not a normal sympathetic response and tyramine is also present in red wine and yeast concentrates (neither of which appears to provoke the same response). I’ll keep researching it…
Good to know that there are so many face sweaters out there! My reaction is mainly to chocolate and different brands provoke the reaction to different degrees – biscuit and raisin Yorkie and Mint Aero being the worst! I also get the face sweats with some cheeses, but they tend to be the stronger varieties. The sweats are limited to my cheeks and under my eyes and come on within seconds of starting to chew the chocolate or cheese. For many years I have been laughed at for my sweaty face, but now I know it isn’t just me!
I am pretty sure it points to being a bit better than all non-cheese sweaters. 🙂
I swear no one believed me when I said that both cheese and chocolate make me sweat under my eyes and on the sides of my nose! glad to see this is proof it does happen to loads of people, and not just me! wish i knew why..
I have had this for 25 years… Started with grapefruit and moved through cheese to now pretty much anything sour. My research has linked it an intolerance to amines and salicylates. Different cheeses have different amine levels and for me this defines the level of sweating. Also there is a phenomenon called gustatory sweating which is all linked to nerves and eating. Temperature has a large bearing also. There seems to be no cure although Botox can blunt the reaction I believe…
That’s interesting – I’m a cheese and dark chocolate sweater and have reacted badly to Aspirin in the past, which is a salicylate – and my uncle, another cheese and chocolate sweater, goes into anaphylactic shock with ibuprofen and his mum (my Granny) goes into anaphylactic shock with bee stings and she’s a cheese and chocolate sweater too. That genetic line is pure Anglo Saxon -Sussex coast for 1000 years.
Had to leave a comment, was just eating some edam on crackers and as always got the sweats.. I have had the sweats either side of the nose, at the top, for as long as I can remember, but never really thought about googling it, till now, and wow, i’m not alone!
Fantastic to see so many of us!
Hi,
I feel this when I eat all kinds of very fat food. It is really annoying.
Maybe its not just the cheese…its the fat. And this might show that you have a functional healthy body that tells you to not eat high fat food?
I also heard from a friend that people with good condition are more sencitive of very fat food. He had the same problem. I think it has something to do with much fat combinated with a lot of salt too. This is just how I feel about it. 🙂
Thanks for sharing the topic!! sheers from sweden // Yonas
Hello fellow cheese-eyes. I have always felt a weird, very light, sweat forming when I eat moderate amounts of cheese, under my eyes next to my nose of course. I like you have been told I am crazy! It’s mostly noticeable when I make a salad or something which has chunks of cheese in it… I’m certain its not diabetes as some are worrying about as I’ve noticed it for years, and I am a pilot who undergoes a medical every year. Diabetes is one thing they test specifically for, so you need not worry about it! Just eat more cheese and sweat away…
Does that read as odd as it sounds?… I love how without the internet we would never have knows if we were alone or not. Well, carry on everyone, and all the best to my comrades, wherever you are from!
Hi, im from canada, im 25.. and very pale skinned.. med brown hair.. green blue eyes.. and lots of “polka-dots” on my skin.. i too get hot flashes on my cheeks when i eat cheese. Not when its melted tho, like pizza or a burger is fine, but when its just raw block cheddar or shredded … i instantly(like as soon as it touches my tongue) light up and feel very warm on my cheeks and under my eyes.. kinda like when you have eating too many salt n vinegar chips..
I am also normally a “rosy” cheeked person..
This so weird that i actually found a site about it!!
For as long as I can remember when I eat any cheese my nose and the soft parts above and underneath my eyes has the temp crancked up straight away. The first time I remember it happening I was only young and thought I was having a panic attack everyone I explain this to just looks at me as if I’m nuts. It’s a joy to find out I have brothers and sisters (cheese sweaters) who suffer the same.
I too am like most of you with a sweaty/greasy face even as I type. It has gotten worse over the years and happens with more an more foods other than my cheesy favorites – this morning my culprit was a bagel with peanut butter! I also get sweaty eye and cheeks but usually also my neck and scalp. I think people think I’ve been crying because my face gets blotchy too. My husband is a physician and also thinks I’m a little bit crazy when I describe what is happening. I have always been too embarrassed to bring it up to my regular physician for fear they’ll think I’m some kind of hypochondriac. The ONLY thing that I think may play a role in figuring this thing out is that I had a baby last year….and did not have even the mildest of episodes during my entire pregnancy!!! And I get this crap frequently! I’m wondering if hormones have something to do with it. After I delivered, the sweaty eyes and neck came right back. Anyway, glad to know that there are more freaks out there like me 🙂 In case none of you have noticed, here’s something to try…sometimes alcohol helps alleviate the sweaty-ness. Am I condoning alcoholism? No…but tossing one or two back when the sweaty eyes attack can’t hurt 🙂
Thought I was the only one! Cheese sweaters united!
Oh wow this just made me sooooo happy!! To find out this is normal and we are in a small group…. I feel like I have a superpower or something! Anyways everyone comments made me laugh :]
Ate a pizza last night. Never noticed it with normal cheese, but will be on the lookout.. but too much (!) pizza in the evening makes me sweat under my eyes, maybe brow, the next morning. A bit like a mild hangover. Weird. But yes, I randomly googled it and here I am.. I’m 29 and this isn’t a new thing. just never thought to google it before, as I assumed it was my body rebelling against the fat / cheese / etc in some way already.
I get this too – and am glad to have found others and at least some sort of explanation.
I have a high-powered job and am regularly required to eat cheese with clients and am always complaining to my team – who suggested I look it up.
I now need something else to waste my team’s time with – any suggestion?
Omg! I’m not alone!!!! All my friends said I was crazy but I’m not!! This phenomenon happens to me with cheese and to my sister with TUNA, now that’s strange 🙂
I have been searching for this topics for years and never found a result! I severe eye sweats with tuna also!! My boyfriend and friends think it’s hilarious. I also get it with really sharp citrus flavours and Greek yogurt!
So glad to know I’m not alone haha!
Stupid cheese sweats.
So happy to find other cheese sweaters! My co-workers told me I was crazy. I’ve had this my whole life, mainly block cheeses and strong ones. Feta is a huge trigger. I can’t tell if I turn colors or not, I have dark skin and freckles, but I definitely feel the flush and sweating.
I ate 3 blocks of chocolate, and BOOM, grease-face (what I call it)
I thought I had an allergic reaction.
In sport, I ALWAYS redden blotchy face when I really excersise HARD.
I have light skin, cheese also fucks me up.
I hate greAse face, atleast it only last a minute.
Yes. Has since I was a kid. I became a vegan about 6 months ago and recently eat a slice of provolone. The sensation made me google it. Found this blog. Made this update.
I have been experiencing this for as long as i can remember. Only Feta triggers it. As soon as i eat Feta my forehead tingles (i call it a Feta buzz). and my face sweats. People usually don’t believe me and i have not found anyone else that experiences this. My friend’s wife is convinced i am allergic and that i should stop eating feta. but i like feta and i like the feeling of my feta buzz. Glad i am not alone.
Thank the God of Cheese, I thought I was alone!
For as long as I remember I have suffered from damp eye or cheese sweat as most here are calling it. I have been stigmatised as a mad, lying, cheese eating sweater by my friends and family. I too have suffered the pain and embarrassment of having slightly moist eyes whilst trying to make polite conversation over a bit of Bree or Stilton.
Cheese Sweaters of the World Unite!
Thanks for leaving comments about your experiences with “The Cheese Sweats“.
All your comments are informative and interesting.
You are not alone.
Me, too, I get it with cheese or chocolate!
Hey all, have been getting the icy under eyed, cheese-sweats since I was a child. And thought it about time to find an answer to these puzzling symptoms and have just come across this fine and honourable gang of fellow CS’s…
A good British Cheddar (medium +) always used to do it for me, however I have recently discovered the don-daddy of all cheesy freezy delights, which is Yaks cheese produced in Nepal. Just the smell and even the thought of it actually triggers the response… Have always thought it had something to do with the blood from non-vital areas being redirected to the tummy as I suppose strong cheeses must take a bit to digest…
I have the exact same reaction! I am light complected and always sneeze when I look at the sun. I have also been type one diabetic for most of my life, could someone please explain how cheese sweats could be linked to this?
Yup, me too. I don’t think I physically sweat, but it feels like the skin under my eyes has a cold ‘pins and needles’ feeling. I check for sweat but nothing is usually there and there is no visual difference. And like everyone else, the stronger the cheese the wierder it feels.
My guess is that it’s a mild allergic reaction to something in the stronger cheeses. The feeling I get feels a lot like the feeling that I get from actual allergic reactions.
I had myself tested for diabetes a year or so ago for other reasons and I don’t have have it so it can’t be that. I’m 26, male, blonde hair, no freckles/clearish skin, I don’t sneeze in the sun and I have fairly light skin.
I’m gonna keep investigating this cos I’m really intregued and equally relieved that so many others have the same reaction. I’ll let you know if I find anything interesting 🙂
Remember that A-1 steak sauce commercial with the guy that says “it gets ya here, it gets ya right here” (as he points to either side of his neck)? I’m pretty sure he’s a cheese sweater.
I heard somewhere the exact reaction you are describing (which i also have) is a reaction to tyramine!
I get this too mostly with stronger cheese, always starts on my brow then it might creap down my cheeks, Don’t know why I didn’t Google this any sooner. Someone made an interesting point earlier. Pale Skin, light eyes, freckles. It’s got me wondering if their is some kind of correlation between the two.
oh my gosh i thought i was the only one. people around me think im crazy when i have to leave to get away from strong cheese, cheez its, cheeznips, and goldfish.
i get the sweats right under my eyes and on the upper cheeks. mine isn’t very tingly though, it almost burns.
usually within a few hours i break out on my cheeks with these red lumps, not acne though and they stay around for a week 😦
at least there’s other cheese sweaters out there 🙂
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thinking I was the only guy in the world. I live near London in the UK, and family and friends have thought It was weird for years (LOL). The slightest bit of strong cheddar cheese or vinegar, and my glasses are sliding off my face! Firstly i get tingling sensation in my cheeks, then i sweat badly under the eyes and either side of my nose. The diabetes references worry me, but are we just all allergic to something maybe (I do think the latter maybe?). If anyone has any further info that would be great.
Simondo x
Hail, cheesy brethren.
Mine’s less of a cheese ‘sweat’ and more of a cheese ‘rush’, like a tiny narcotic effect. Incidentally, I am photosensitive (I sneeze whenever I look at bright sunlight) and am blood type B-negative (possible reptoid).
Has anyone had a similar effect with another food group beside cheese?
I, myself, am not a cheese sweater but, my husband is. The stronger the cheese, the more he sweats. Not just under the eyes either. Forehead, under eyes, upper lip and if he eats a lot (which he usually does) he will sweat like he has been running a race.
I get sweaty when I eat cheese too and everyone thinks I’m weird when I break out. I mainly get lots of beads of sweat from my scalp, my hair gets real wet then my back starts sweating and I get really flush. Alcohol makes it worse. My fingers will turn red and sometimes swell, eating brie and heavy cheeses.
btw, female, olive complexion, dark hair. I have no idea if any of that matters but I noticed on the comments a lot of you are fair skinned so I thought I’d throw my specs in to the ring.
I sweat from cheese as well but my sweat is different. Nothing happens as I eat the cheese. But at night after going to sleep I wake up drenched in sweat. I sweat so much the nights after eating cheese, that my clothes and sheets are completely wet everywhere. It seems the sweating is worst around my tummy area, but I even sweat in my arms, legs and feet. I used to get these night sweats for months on end (at the time I was a vegetarian who eats cheese. And I ate cheese daily). Now I haven’t eaten cheese for over 6 months (been vegan for 6 months) and then last night I really wanted some pizza at a restaurant. I ate almost the entire Italian mozzarella pizza and then had the worst sweat all night. Now I think this was probably the last time I ate cheese ever! 🙂
I am 52 male (but I read at a 55-year-old level). I went to the Dr. within the past few years thinking I was going through manopause. He did all the bloodwork and found nothing wrong. He had no clue as to my symptoms. I already knew I was a cheese sweater…all the classic symptoms from way back in my youth. As a youth – milk, chocolate and peanut butter gave me headaches and our family physician said I was allergic to the proteins in those foods. In my 20’s and 30’s my headaches went away and as a fairly good athlete, I could easily drink 3-4 gallons of milk a week for 10-15 years, until lactose intolerance started. But I was essentially addicted to milk and couldn’t give it up until just recently. I still have a hard time staying away from milk and cheese but am getting better at it because I get tremendous night sweats too, just as Anna described. If I have a lot of milk, cheese (pizza) and/or ice cream before bed, I can totally soak the bed and any PJs or night shirt I might be wearing. When you sweat that much, you are sure something is seriously wrong with you. It’s much more than if you just peed the bed and you wake up physically exhausted having had your body go through all that I guess.
Only through a rigorous process of elimination in just the past year was I fully sure that it was purely a reaction to milk products. I’ve not told my Dr. yet as I figure he won’t believe me. I have an advanced degree in the hard sciences…well versed in the scientific method and have no doubts. I share here because I know that the medical world is behind on this issue. I don’t care if you think I’m crazy because I know that I know. Not a hypochondriac…just an astute observer. I’ve had to be. And since I have been playing closer attention to the cheese sweats, I’ve noticed another sympton that has developed rather recently/later in life. Several times I have noticed an almost instantaneous reaction to eating a sharp cheese by a tingling in my anus. How it happens so fast is beyond me…but being rich with blood vessels much like the lip and eye area for the classic cheese sweats- and about as fast….makes me think it is an allergic reaction. Sorry for the gorey details folks, but science isn’t always pretty. I’d like to know if anyone else has experienced this symptom….
Actually yea and here ill re-post my post for you but I haven’t never noticed it to cheese but never paid attention to it with cheese im gonna eat some rich uncooked cheese to test through here read this
I have it really bad n scary weird but never really noticed if cheese did it with me peanut butter and fast food n fried food make me feel like im dying but I eat peanut butter just about everyday but its been getting worse the past few months 1st bite instantly my face feels cold but hot same time sweaty n clammy and can literally fell every pore in my face now with fast food like McDonalds or fried chicken from Popeye’s instantly I feel like im gonna black out it hurts so bad my whole body lights on fire and starts tingling my stomach n throat too I can feel every hair on my head and it is like a painful numb tingling then dizziness sets in and tunnel vision plus some weird feelings I cant explain and I have to grab hold of whatever is close to keep from falling n blacking out and it is super scary but when I ask people in tell about it I get looked at like im nuts even when people see it happened it scares them my cousin said my eyes even rolled in back my head but there’s no explanation on why it happens or what just no info most doctors just are mind blown n cant help because they dont know n have never heard of or seen and just send on marry old way since test are inconclusive please some1s help what should I do is there some kind of special research or dr’s out there somewhere willing to study and get to the bottom of this situation and I thought I was alone but reading here there’s all kind of people suffering in numerous different ways
And im 33 white male olive skin so I tan super easily I dont sneeze in sun I love the sun growing up on beach surfing I have blue eyes that change to green n goldish and i do have freckles but not that many freckles I would say and im a mutt like most of us im German Jewish French and Indian Cherokee n Blackfoot im a true mixed mutt
I sweat all around my eyes when I eat strong cheese (not sliced deli stuff), and especially ketchup. Right now I’m sweating profusely and all I had was a baked chicken breast that I coated with dijon mustard and rolled in flavored breadcrumbs, a baked potato with sour cream and butter, and some canned corn (nothing added). I’ve had this problem for years and can’t find any correlation with what I eat. No health problems that I know of. I’d love to know what causes it, and I have a feeling it’s not necessarily food related.
Now that I’ve backed up and read all the posts, I can say that spaghetti sauce definitely gives me the sweats, as well as tuna mixed with mayonnaise. I’ve always thought that vinegar had something to do with it, but I don’t know that vinegar is in cheese. It lasts at least an hour for me and is pretty annoying. Can’t say I get a “buzz,” just a cold, tacky sweat around my eyes. No diabetes anywhere in my family, or me, and I have hazel eyes and fairly normal skin (no freckles but plenty of moles). I’m half Irish, with a little Swiss mixed in (don’t know what the other 4th is but I suspect its British).
I get this over this over my whole face but don’t know why
wooooo!
just googled “cheese sweats” and couldn’t believe this.
mine started about 6 months ago and is geting much worse.
used to be only after strong cheese like stilton, but just had some squeezy mild primula stuff on toast and its happening again!
feels like under my eyes is drenched in sweat,cold and tingly,but when i look there’s nothing to be seen!
its weird coz i’m not a sweaty person atall?
found lately it happens with any cheesy food and its instant, as soon as i take a bite.
i’m vegetarian but apparently “meat sweats” are common if people eat a lot of meat in 1 session?
47 year old female,hazel eyes,dark hair,fair freckly skin,sunlight sneezer.
I read the possible explanation about cheese causing a release of adrenilne thus the sweat But the sweat is specifically only under my eyes as well. It’s not a general release of sweat but almost profuse under each eye. Mine is triggered by eating, but it’s not cheese that causes it. Doesn’t seem to occur often or with any specific food. It kicks in usu halfway through a meal. Then followed by severe gastric turmoil.
I also have this to some degree, and I would say what happens to me is most like Benjaninja who posted on December 27 2011. It happens particularly with strong cheeses. Almost as soon as I eat them, the sensation is like my cheeks are sweating but when I touch my cheeks, it doesn’t feel there is sweat there. I don’t think this used to happen in my earlier life (I’m 28 now).
Has anyone found any medical problems with these cheese sweats? I’m trying to correlate a number of my medical problems so am interested in this.
To assist with our world domination, I am an Aussie with Irish and German lineage. Fair hair, blue eyes and freckles. Have had the cheese sweats for as long as i can remember from ‘raw’ block cheese only. No problem with slices or melted. Like everyone else I have been laughed by those close to me at but never associated it with ill health.
Mine are isolated to my cheeks with a cool sensation but no pouring sweat. They happen as soon as I start chewing and last for 1/2 an hour after.
Will keep looking to see if anyone comes up with a medical explanation.
Until then we shall all unite.
Same thing — only with good, sharp cheese. Also catsup for some reason. And only about the eyes. I would love to know what causes this. I was told as a child I was allergic to penicillin, which is derived from mold(?) so that might explain the blue cheese thing. But not catsup. Whatever the cause, it doesn’t stop me from adoring cheese and putting catsup on fries or burgers.
Rock on, cheese heads!
Greetings fellow “CHEESE SWEATERS”, not only is it cheese for me but mayonnaise, some fried hot chips no other fried foods. Ever since childhood this has occurred and changed from a cool sensation below the eyes and upper lip to now a light sweat and flushed feeling in these areas as well as the cheeks and sometimes the neck. Perhaps it could be a fat enzyme reaction 😛 I would love to know more about it. My parents did not believe me as a child and recently I mentioned the cheesey sweats to my mother and she is adament that it was my brother that had them!! arrrgghh!!!
One of the great things about the interrnet is however weird you think your condition is there are probably thousands of other people with the same thing. I also have light skin and freckles but no diabetes as far as I know. Top sweat inducing cheeses are: Cheddar (mature), Comte and Gruyere. Strong blue cheeses seem to have no effect, what is that about? I am also obsessed with cheese generally, does that apply to other cheese sweaters?
I always sweat under my eyes and sometimes forehead, when eating cheese, especially strong mature cheese. I also have the same reaction when I have HP sauce! I love them both tough so carry on! Anyone found a cure yet?
“Cheese Makes Me Sweat | I Am The Cheese” in reality got me personally hooked with ur blog!
I personallywill wind up being back again considerably more often.
Thanks a lot -Laverne
Thanks!
Thanks for all the comments!!!
Good to know I’m not alone.
note: Si B: HP sauce causes the same reaction for me.
Me too, with fruits also. Had a cracking sweat at lunch today with some serious brown sauce ( which is why I Googled it tonight). I have never met anyone else this happens to. Until Now . Are we all related ????
I’m 50 this year, have had cheese sweats for as long as I can remember and I’m still alive!!! The thing that made me google it was breaking out after a large slice of cheesecake. Mentioned to my partner that I was having a cheese sweat & she gave me one of those ‘freak’ looks. FTR I’m not particularly fair, but do have a lot of mole type things and I do sneeze at the sun
I just lurve that I am not alone in my ‘Cheese Sweats’. I am 37 and all my life I have been trying to explain to people about what happens when I eat cheese, they just frown at me as if I’m some kinda weirdo. Embrace it cheese sweaters, we’re maybe not as rare as we originally thought but we’ve got to be up there with the best of the freaks 🙂 x
Melbourne here, I googled this as I was concerned. But alas I stumbled on this and now I feel like one of the priviledged few…chesse sweaters!
does anyone use Primatene mist? or an epinephrine based inhaler/tablet?
Hello I am also a “cheese sweater” and was quite confused as to what was happening when I took a bite of cheese and the tingling sensation was upon me because all my life I was able to eat cheese with no reaction up until a year ago. I was doing some research before I found this site and I read that it could be an ingredient called tyramine that causes this reaction but when i searched i could only find that tyramine gives headaches and migrains but then I found something called gustatory sweating which is caused by damage to the parotid gland, because it is damaged when it regenerates it may become mixed up with other nerves so that when you bite into foods with rich strong taste instead of producing only saliva your face will also start to sweat, but reading more into this usually only occurs to people who have had trauma or surgery on the parotid glands so im very unsure whether that is the problem. personally when I bite into a block of cheddar cheese (I find this hard to explain btw) it feels like the joints of my jaw (parotid glands) are being squeezed haha.
I dont know how much of what ive researched is true or if that is whats causing it but im glad ive found this website so I could relate to a lot of you with my cheesy reaction i quite like the sensation but I, like all of you wanted to know what causes it and I also get this “cheese sweat” reaction when I think about it which links back to the gustatory sweating because when you think about food you produce saliva but i dunno maybe it will just be one of those wonders of life 🙂
I wonder how many of us have had a tonsillectomy?
I hadn’t thought about the jaw joint thing. I have that at odd times and not usually when I have the cheese sweats. I know exactly what it is though — it happens immediately and goes away within 5 seconds. I find that the 3 things that give me the sweats are strong (not processed) cheese, catsup and mayonnaise. Tomato sauce also, which explains the catsup. Is their vinegar in cheese? Tomatoes alone don’t make me sweat. It has to be an additive.
I just googled “why does the skin under my eyes sweat so much” and I found this. I just got done eating mac and cheese. I feel that this is an epiphany for me. Thank you, fellow cheese sweaters.
Amy, definitely under and around the eyes. Not a dripping sweat, but close. Now if someone could figure out why!
Like some others, I get tingly cheeks just at the thought of eating a piece of cheddar and some other mature cheeses. When I take the first bite, I produce a lot more saliva than usual, sometimes causing a bit of mild aching in the jaw, and then my cheeks ‘burn’ in a cold sweat. I really love the sensation, and have had it all my life (I’m 51). The effect lasts for several minutes. It’s great to see there are so many others who share this, because my girlfriend thinks I’m just weird. 🙂
Awesome, a cheese sweat thread! I’ve been experiencing these for a year or so (am 41). Have always been a lover of cheese and had never has issues up until recenty. Had a ceaser salad for lunch today and the parmesan has caused the trademark undeye and nose sweat (does anyone else get it under their bottom lip too?). It’s weird though as yesterday I had some wensleydale, smoked-processes cheese and some stilton and was absolutely fine…..aaargh. Glad to know I’m not a freak (well, not a lone freak anyway) 🙂
PS I have blue eyes, fair skin and turn into a Ribenaberry at the gym!
The sun doesn’t make me sneeze but, almost certainly irrelevantly, ice cream makes me cough….
PPS Have just been thinking around the subject and I have experienced similar symptoms in the past with orange juice concentrate (not fresh)…. Does anyone else have issues with OJ? Have I discoverad a missing link!?
🙂
Hard cheese and chocolate. Been like this for as long as I can remember. For the last 40 odd years everyone has found my affliction funny. Hell, I’ve even thought it funny. Good to know I’m not the only weird one out there.
When i eat cheese or yogurt i feel as if im havibg a hot flash…. i thought it could be dairy but when i drink milk i am fine?
I have had this feeling all my life mainly my forehead around my eyes and down to just above my top lip. This is a mild allergic reaction and with me mainly with mature hard cheeses. I only found out hardly anyone else has it recently when I said “don’t you love that feeling when…..” Won’t stop me though, I love the cheese and the feeling!
Happens to me when I eat hard cheese, peanut butter, dry roasted peanuts. Started in my early-mid twenties. Reading the other posts, I see some of you have this reaction with A1 sauce– maybe the raisins in it? I speculate some common thread with cured/preserved foods. Maybe some sort of bacterial culture or an acid or protein common to all these foods. Like all the rest of you I am pale-skinned– sunburn and freckle instead of tanning– and of generally England-Scotland-type ancestry with bits and pieces of who-knows-what-else in the gene pool. My hair is brown but my beard is red. Also, I am lactose-intolerant, if that is a missing link for anyone else. If I eat a lot of peanut butter, similar reaction (rapidly-escalating diarrhea situation) as to my lactose-intolerant reaction. Less lactose-intolerant reaction the harder the cheese, but the more cheese sweats I get– strange paradox.
I only get a cheese sweat from feta cheese. I discussed with my friend this week and salt & vinegar crisps do the same to her. I do have blue eyes, freckles and go mega red in the gym.
My husband gets it when he eats cheesecake! I have never heard of anyone else getting it too!! (No tingles, just moist)
hello everybody! i am italian, dark hair and olive skin… same problem sweat under the eyes when I eat some kind of cheese, mozzarella included …. It doesn’t happens with milk or yougurt. I feel a cold sensation under the eyes… very strange…. if someone knows the reason It’d be great! Nice to find cheese sweaters friends 🙂
So i’d never heard of this before, but I’d always wondered why my face would feel clammy when I ate sharp cheese. So I googled “why do I sweat when I eat cheese” and I found this wonderful group of people. I did some more googling and found a medical journal article about the reaction.
Click to access 307.full.pdf
It said that usually it is just a natural reaction certain people have, but in some cases people can actually develop this reaction due to other factors.
I noticed recently that after I eat raw unpasteurized cheese (specifically cheddar) I get intense night sweats. I never sweat when eating other cheese, just the raw cheddar, and just at night. I googled for some sanity and found this. I may not be a real cheese sweater, but it’s nice to know I’m not crazy!
Plain yogurt makes me sweat under my eyes and on my nose, whether I add salt and pepper or not. And I just discovered this morning that sour cream does the same thing for me. But I haven’t noticed it with cheese. When I eat chili peppers (or any kind of hot peppers), I also sweat — but then it’s on my forehead and back of neck. Peanut butter and honey also makes me sweat under my eyes and on my nose.
So, it appears that the foods I enjoy the most make me sweat in some manner.
Everyone I tell this to just laughs at me — so it’s good to know I’m not alone.
Hi, I’ve just stumbled across this page/forum (having had cheese sandwiches for lunch!) – what an eye-opener! Having read a few comments from people, and based on my own experiences I would like to offer the following thoughts…
I believe the “cheese-sweat” while not per se an allergic reaction, is almost certainly linked to an allergenic state. hence the seemingly tenuous link to Type 1 diabetes: an autoimmune syndrome, therefore linked to allergy (an overly active immune system). It also seems to me that immune response may be linked to hormonal balance – and following the fugue, is somehow related to mood disorder.
My own experience: I have a history of childhood asthma which spontaneously abated in my late teens, only to return (occasionally) premenstrually, while pregnant, and now in menopause. I have also suffered quite badly from depression, initiated at puberty, exacerbated (to the point of hospitalisation) on first trying the contraceptive pill, again pre-and post-partum, and now again in menopause. I have always been highly reactive to inhaled allergens and also in a different way to some food allergens, namely some nuts, wheat germ, possibly egg and milk. And I’m a “cheese-sweater”: the least unpleasant symptom of my over-reactive system.
Interesting, huh?
Im so glad i’ve found people like me!
its been happening to me for such a long time i tent to stop mentioning it now.
However, when i do everybody thinks im a raving lunatic!!
another thing i get is a strong sting/tingling sensation on the inside of my cheeks (mouth) when ever i eat cheese, and other foods too.
Also, if i ever eat pasta and have a drink straight afterwards i get this disgusting taste in my mouth that nothing can get rid of.
not sure if this helps anyone but its helped me!
now i can tell people im not crazy!!
Wow this is awesome I thought I was the only one I had to make my wife feel my face so she didn’t think I was crazy but I’ve never heard of it happen to any one else glad I’m not alone
I have been looking for info on the eye sweats for a long time, but for me it only happens when I eat peanut butter, and only the last few years… Any ideas?
Yep peanut butter does it to me too and not cheese at all but it affects my whole face and other parts of my body and never did when I was younger just started a few years back then certain fast foods and other types of food make me feel like im dying and get me really sick especially mcdonalds so I dont eat fast food anymore except from wendy’s if out in about and cant wait till I get home to eat since there 1 of the few places that doesn’t make me feel sick and like im going to die right after I eat it but its a very weird screwed up feeling certain foods get me light headed i start blacking out ,pouring sweat over whole body ,dizzy ,extremely nauseous and head pounding plus a bunch of other unexsplainable sensations that literally feels like your dying .. im have been wondering if anybody else has that happen I know certain things do it to my brother too and its M.S. that causes all his symptoms but I dont have M.S. that im aware of ….
Yep…I am also a cheese sweater… Just ate cheese now and started sweating on the top of my cheeks and decided to see if this happens to anyone else…and clearly it happens to all you weird people too 🙂 hello fellow cheese sweaters! Oh…and I suffer from achoo syndrome (sneezing when you go out into the sun after you have been inside for a while) .. 🙂
Yeah…I have this weird little medical issue!
This is hilarious!! I’ve found my people!!! Hello my name is Jan and I am a Cheese sweater Hahahaha! Just the strong stuff gets me… like an English cheddar… Also red wine and dark chocolate do it too! Ironically these are all fermented foods. Anyone else notice that connection??
Amazing. I finally trusted enough internet evolution had occurred to get some results!
In to have company –
I get the cheek/under-eye sweat from:
Peanut Butter
Sharp Cheese
Ketchup
Apples
I’m allergic to penicillin (mold derived)
Once I break a threshold with too much dairy I
get cold symptoms. I’m of the belief that it’s
all somehow fermentation related?
When I drink wheat beer my throat tightens.
I could talk for hours about deitary restrictions.
I’m absolutely enthralled by the topic. Thanks to all who shared here. You’re not alone!
Okay… So I’ve finally figured it out… It’s a histamine reaction!! When I think of histamines… I think of the response my body has to pollen… Or mosquito bites… bodies can produce histamine when responding to an allergen… Foods also can have high levels of histamines naturally. Fermented foods tend to be high in histamine. Some folks don’t have enough enzymes to break them down the histamines. Folks like us…
Cheese sweaters!! 😜
It’s actually has a name… You can google it…
Histamine Intolerance
It’s a lack of an enzyme called DAO.
Enzymes are what allows the stuff we eat to be broken down in to something useful for our body. This lack of the proper enzymes is associated with poor gut health/leaky gut/gut
dysbiosis.
I get a cold sweat around the top of my nose Into my eyes… I literally just ate a cheddar cheese roll and spoke to my girlfriend… So I googled it and came up with this.. I’ve just read it’s something to with the cheese triggering part of the nervous system that only adrenaline can trigger.?
Just like everyone else here I wondered why I sweat when I eat cheese, especially Gorgonzola. I got the sweats just reading all the posts. Its always been that way with me. I’m 68 with a hungarian background. If I eat a bunch of chocolate, I’ll get the sweats at night. Garlic does it for me, too. It especially makes me profusely sweat even when I think about it (like now).
I like the tyramine and parotid gland connection.
It’s amazing how much we are all alike. Almost ten years of posts shows that to me.