What Causes Meat Sweats?

If you’ve ever found yourself sweating after enjoying a hearty barbeque or a generous serving of turkey at a holiday meal, you're not alone. You might call this having "meat sweats," an informal term that describes excessive sweating after consuming high amounts of protein-heavy foods, like steak, turkey, ham, chicken, or sausage. 

While meat sweats is a popular casual term you might use with your friends and family, there’s no formal medical term and little research addressing the phenomenon. However, experts have some theories on what may cause this post-meal sweating and why certain foods trigger it more than others. 

While meat sweats are usually harmless, in some cases, excessive sweating after eating a protein-rich meal could be a sign of an underlying condition. If you frequently experience heavy sweating after eating protein, it's important to understand the possible causes and seek medical advice.

What Do Meat Sweats Feel Like?

Meat sweats are the sudden onset of intense sweating shortly after consuming high quantities of meat or a large, protein-rich meal. The sweating may be most noticeable on your face, neck, and chest, but it can affect your whole body. 

If you have meat sweats, you may feel warm and appear flushed—similar to how you feel during intense exercise or in hot weather.

In addition to sweating, you may also experience symptoms like: 

• Uncomfortable fullness or a feeling of being overly full 
• Bloating
• Sluggishness or tiredness 
• Red, flushed appearance 
• Nausea or vomiting 

Causes of Meat Sweats

Eating large, protein-heavy meals causes most cases of meat sweats. Meat sweats are usually associated with eating animal-based foods like burgers, steak, hot dogs, turkey, ham, and other meats, but any protein-rich food could potentially trigger them.

Here are other possible causes.

Diet-Induced Thermogenesis 

Diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) refers to an increase in body temperature and energy use while digesting food. Within minutes after eating, your body temperature rises, and your body uses more energy to digest food. 

DIT is a natural process that occurs after eating all foods, but it may be more noticeable when consuming large portions of protein. Protein raises the body's metabolic rate and requires more energy to digest than other nutrients, like fat. This means that after eating a protein-heavy meal like a steak dinner, your body temperature increases. This may explain why eating high amounts of protein can lead to sweating.

Protein Intolerance

Protein intolerance occurs when the body struggles to digest or absorb proteins in food. It can happen with any type of protein, including meat, but it's more common for infants to have intolerances to proteins in cow’s milk and other dairy products. 

Symptoms of protein intolerance typically develop within a few hours after eating and can include:  

• Sweating 
• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Nausea or vomiting
• Bloating
• Excess gas 
• Skin rash and itchiness

It's also possible to be intolerant to certain meats if your body senses there's too much histamine, a chemical that can be found in certain foods. Red meats, smoked meats, or processed meats like pepperoni, bologna, and salami are meats high in histamine that may lead to a reaction. You may have symptoms like a runny or stuffy nose, hives, and a headache.

Frey’s Syndrome 

Frey’s syndrome, or gustatory sweating, occurs when the body sweats in response to eating almost any type of food. Some people with Frey’s syndrome may break out into a sweat even when thinking about food.

Frey’s syndrome can develop when surgery or injury around the paratoid gland—the largest salivary gland near the ear—damages nearby nerves.

Typically, the nerves signal the parotid glands to release saliva when eating. With Frey’s syndrome, the nerves mistakenly signal the sweat glands to produce sweat and widen (dilate) blood vessels, leading to excessive sweating and flushing, typically on the face near the ear and cheek. 

Food Allergies 

Meat allergies are uncommon, but reports of allergies to beef, pork, lamb, chicken, duck, and other meats have increased in recent years. Food allergies occur when the immune system mistakenly identifies compounds in certain foods as a threat, causing the body to release inflammatory chemicals after you consume the allergen in an attempt to fight the perceived threat. 

The type of meat that triggers an allergic reaction varies. For instance, it's possible to develop an allergy to red meat, including pork and beef, after a bite from the Lone Star tick (a tick found in the United States). This is known as alpha-gal syndrome (AGS). Some people may be allergic to only one type of meat, while others may be allergic to multiple, including poultry like chicken and turkey.

Symptoms can develop shortly after eating the allergen or take as long as 3-8 hours to develop. 

Symptoms of a food allergy can range from mild to severe and may include: 

• Skin itchiness
• Excessive sweating 
• Abdominal pain or cramping
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea 
• Shortness of breath, wheezing (whistling sound when breathing), or cough 
• Facial swelling of the lips and around the eyes

When To See a Healthcare Provider

Most cases of meat sweats are temporary and don't require medical attention.

However, it’s important to seek medical attention if you frequently experience sweating after eating meat or when sweating occurs with symptoms such as: 

• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Throat tightness
• Facial swelling 

A healthcare provider, such as a primary care physician (PCP) or a specialist like an allergist (a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing and treating allergic diseases), can review your medical history, ask about your symptoms, and order diagnostic tests like blood work or allergy testing to determine the underlying cause of meat sweats. 

Treatment

Meat sweats don’t require treatment, but you can do some things to make yourself more comfortable while your body digests the food you've eaten. If you’re sweating a lot after eating meat, you can cool your body by doing the following:

• Use a fan, air conditioner, or open window to lower the room temperature
• Drink plenty of water or electrolyte-containing fluids (like sports drinks) to replace lost fluids from sweating
• Take a cool bath or shower

If your meat sweats are associated with a medical condition, such as Frey’s syndrome or food allergy, your healthcare provider may recommend treatments to address and manage the underlying cause. 

How To Prevent Meat Sweats

You can lower your chances of developing meat sweats by making some dietary and lifestyle adjustments, including: 

• Adjust your portion size: Limit protein intake at each meal based on your individual needs. For example, a person on a 2,000-calorie diet may aim for approximately 5.5 ounces of protein daily, according to dietary guidelines.
• Balance your meals: Incorporate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats into your diet alongside protein to protect your digestive and overall health.
• Stay hydrated: Drinking water before, during, and after meals can help regulate your body temperature and prevent dehydration. 
• Wear breathable clothing: To manage excessive sweating, wear loose-fitting and lightweight clothing with breathable fabrics, such as cotton. 
• Use antiperspirants: Applying antiperspirants to areas prone to sweating can help control excessive perspiration.

A Quick Review

Meat sweats is an informal term for excessive sweating that occurs after consuming meat or other protein-rich foods. While the exact cause of meat sweats is not fully understood, research suggests that an increase in body temperature as your body digests food explains most cases of meat sweats. Other possible causes include Frey's syndrome, protein intolerance, and meat allergy.

Most cases of meat sweats are temporary and pass once your body digests the protein. If you experience frequent meat sweats or are experiencing other symptoms, like skin itchiness, shortness of breath, nausea, or vomiting, a healthcare provider may be able to help. They can determine what’s causing meat sweats and recommend appropriate treatments.