Acid?

[melinasmomma]

Is it possible to be allergic to acid? I ate a Jolly rancher yesterday that made my tounge swell, and it had malic acid. A few days prior, I ate an organic sucker that made my tounge and lips swell, and it had citric acid. It seems like there are so many things lately that are causing my tounge to swell, and different types of acids are the only common link. Does anyone else have this problem?

[veloursrouge]

Citric acid allergy is a real thing, and it does not necessarily mean you are also allergic to citrus fruits. Manufactured citric acid is not the same as the citric acid that naturally occurs in citrus fruits. Google it, and you'll find several sites and message boards that discuss it.

(BTW, Vitamin C is ascorbic acid, not citric acid.)

[Tammy2009]

It probably is a peservative or food dye that you are reacting too.  My ex-boyfriend claimed to be allergic to citric acid but he was a pathological lier so who knows?

Citric acid is vitamin C, so you would be reacting to any citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit etc.  

Malic acid is similar and also associated with tart and sourness.  So similar foods should also cause problems.  

If fruits aren't causing a problem, then it probably is another cause.  Food labels are bad to compare since many things have different labels or can be split apart into two terms.  

Then again, theortically you can be allergic to anything so it is possible.  Best to find an open minded allergist that is willing to do allergy tests on you.