Pine Mouth Syndrome

If you get a funny taste in your mouth after eating a salad, it could be the pine nuts.

Americans are using more pine nuts than ever before. Whether cooking, using them as part of a salad or to make a pesto sauce, pine nuts have become more popular. But with this popularity more people are also noticing what doctors call the “pine mouth syndrome”.

Although it's still considered a rare syndrome, last year 51 people reported to the FDA complaints of “taste disturbances” related to pine nuts. Basically, something in these nuts causes a metallic taste in the mouth that can last up to two weeks. Usually the taste change comes about a day or two after eating the nuts or something made with them.

Doctors haven't studied this affect yet. But according to a report just published in the journal of Medical Toxicology by Dr Marc-David Munk, from the University of New Mexico Department of Emergency Medicine, more examples of it are cropping up every year. And although the exact cause isn't known, Dr Munk thinks something in the pine nut affects the signal between taste buds and the brain.

This condition isn't dangerous, and again usually only lasts a week or two. One solution might be as simple as switching to a different bag of pine nuts. Meanwhile, doctors continue to study the issue and hopefully can find the exact cause soon.