Mild allergy

[Cherelly]

I have a reaction ever time I eat kiwi or pineapple my tongue and lips tingle/sting a bit and sometimes go numb but have no other symptoms, is it safe to carry on eating them or should I stop?

[Dr Sian Ludman]

Hi Cherelly

You can have an allergy to Kiwi where you will experience tingling and swelling of the lips. It is difficult to know whether this could lead to a serious reaction or not. Kiwi is quite easy to avoid if you are concerned or you can get skin prick testing done by your local allergist if you want a definitive diagnosis. The difficulty comes in that pineapple and kiwi can also be quite acidic and cause some stinging of the lips if eaten in large quantities.