If you are allergic to latex, the milky fluid that comes from rubber trees that is used to make things like balloons, erasers and rubber gloves, you could have a similar allergic reaction triggered by certain foods. This reaction is likely because the proteins in these foods are similar to the proteins in natural rubber.
Some doctors recommend that, to be safe, people who are allergic to latex avoid the foods that may trigger a similar allergic reaction.
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The foods with the highest association with latex-allergic reactions are avocados, bananas, chestnuts and kiwi. However, several other foods cause moderate latex-allergic reactions and include the following:
- apples
- carrots
- celery
- melon
- papayas
- potatoes
- tomatoes
The foods with a low or undetermined association with latex-allergic reactions include:
- apricots
- buckwheat
- castor bean
- cayenne pepper
- cherries
- chick peas
- coconut
- dill
- figs
- lychee
- pears
- persimmon
- pineapples
- plums
- grapes
- hazelnuts
- mangos
- nectarines
- passion fruit
- peaches
- peanuts
- shellfish
- strawberries
- sunflower seeds
- sweet pepper
- soybeans
- walnuts
- wheat
- zucchini
Although allergies to these foods are associated with latex allergy, if you are allergic to latex you are not necessarily allergic to any or all of these foods, and if you are allergic to these foods you may not be allergic to latex. However, if you are allergic to some of these foods there is a higher likelihood that you may at some point develop an allergy to latex and vise versa. Therefore, if you are allergic to latex it makes sense to avoid the foods listed, especially the ones with the highest associations to latex allergy. If you are allergic to some of these foods it would be a good idea to try to limit or avoid contact with latex, because development of latex allergy is correlated to the amount of exposure a person has had to latex over the course of his lifetime.
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