Is it possible to have an allergic reaction to kiwi fruit? I

Is it possible to have an allergic reaction to kiwi fruit? I have had three episodes over the past several years when I suffered extreme headache, terrible pains in my upper legs, and nausea, lasting until I vomited, after which I recovered. The first time I was so alarmed at the extreme pain in my legs that I called an ambulance and spent the night in the hospital. I gradually realized that a short time before each episode I had consumed a drink that contained tonic water. I suspect that the reaction may be to quinine, and I have avoided tonic water entirely and had no further reactions. Last night I had one glass of homemade kiwifruit wine, and had another episode with all the same symptoms. I googled around and found one reference to kiwifruit perhaps containing quinic acid, and am wondering if this is likely the problem. No one else became ill but me, but I was really sick. I'm also wondering how dangerous a higher dosage might be, and what other things to avoid.

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Hi Customer (name blocked for privacy),

Kiwi allergies are very possible, and in fact, this fruit accounts for one of the top 10 of all food allergies in recent years. What makes someone allergic to a particular food is actually the chemicals (proteins) within that food--additives, residues, broken-down compounds, or certain microbes in the food (bacteria or fungi). As you've suspected, different foods may contain the same protein that you happen to be allergic to. Also, many people with food sensitivities suffer from allergies to more than one kind of protein, so if you were allergic to something in tonic water, this may be unrelated to a kiwi fruit allergy. The most common cause of tonic water sensitivity is, as you noted, quinine sulfate, while the most common allergen in kiwifruit is actinidin protein.

Aside from quinine allergies and the fact that kiwifruit contains quinic acid, kiwi is also a source of a common allergen called salicylate, and it has been noted that quinine and salicylate reactions are similar. Salicylates are also used to flavor a lot of beverages, and may be present in some tonic waters as well.

Ideally, you should have various skin patch testing to common food allergens to help determine if this is the cause of the symptoms, and pinpoint which allergens might be causing them, so that you may better avoid them in the future. In high doses, there could be a possibility of anaphylaxis or anaphylatic shock, which is a very serious allergic reaction that could even be fatal in some people (go straight to the ER if you ever have symptoms of this, such as trouble breathing, sweating, and rapid heart rate).

If a salicylate allergy is suspected, here is a list of foods/products that may contain this ingredient (listed by amounts of salicylates):

http://www.antonellagambotto.com/ADDfoods.htm

Another is located here (scroll down to the section on salicylates):

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/2900/2987.asp?index=10014

Products that contain quinine will usually list it in the ingredients section, as is it considered a drug similar to caffeine.

I hope this helps!

It was a pleasure assisting you today! If you've found this answer helpful, please remember to click the ACCEPT button to ensure that I am given credit for my work.

Is it possible to have an allergic reaction to kiwi ...

Related Answers