Bad Breath on Low-Carb

[Pat_Ann]

Good day to everyone! I've been a low-carber for 5 years already. Recently I started to notice a very bad breath... I suppose it's because of the low carb... Have you had the same problem? How did you manage it? Usually I eat about 30 grams of carbs per day.

I low carb also, but just in the last 5 months.My husband has told me a few times my breath is bad, I can't smell it myself. My question is, do you smell it yourself, or does someone tell you? I gargle every morning, and always have breath mints on me, just in case.

 

[Anna Lozikevich]

My question is, do you smell it yourself, or does someone tell you? I gargle every morning, and always have breath mints on me, just in case.

Yeeah, I can feel it myself. Usually I use a pocket mirror to check it or just my hands. But sometimes I can feel it even without any special things. And sometimes my husband tells me about it) I noticed that it always happens when I don't eat for 5-7 hours. But not only in this case.

 

[Sable_Jan]

I noticed this with colleagues fasting for Ramadan......which is strange really as they ARE eating dusk to dawn.....

 

[Finsky]

I can 'feel' it too. It is not something one can really smell themselves, more like something between 'feel' and 'taste' in the mouth.
DH says my breath doesn't really smell bad...just 'odd'..I supposed it is that 'acetone' like sweetish smell. No amount of brushing the teeth, tongue and anywhere else in the mouth make it better....it doesn't come from the mouth/teeth surfaces, but are more of 'exhaust fumes' from one's own body.

 

[Robbity]

Just thinking about this, and that it can come out in your urine or your breath, is it possible that upping your fluid intake would help to flush the ammonia/ketones out and reduce the bad breath?

Drinking plenty of fluids can definitely help. Seeing higher ketone levels in your urine is often a sign that you may be somewhat dehydrated, as your urine, and so the waste ketone levels in it, will be more concentrated, and drinking more is advised.

But as @whitewitch13 points out there can be also various hygiene reasons for bad breath - e.g. food particles or decay, these would probably be a long term issue, but with ketone breath it can disappear when you're nicely in ketosis.

I found that when I was properly in ketosis, that the ketones in my urine disappeared as my body learned to use them more efficiently, and I could no longer taste them either. I use a Ketonix to measure acetone/ketone breath levels and can certainly still record these.

Robbity

 

[Finsky]

Well...I'm in the end of day 3 of fasting..0 carbs and I'm nicely on ketones mode...AND barely any ketones breath to be noticed, not by me or anybody else (yes, I've asked). Either it is down to lack of food intake and I'm using body's own reserves only =better burning? ...or maybe it is because I'm drinking MUCH more liquids that I would normally when eating food but with low carb content. Or maybe both reasons?
I shall have to trial this 'drinking more' business again when I'm back eating solids again...though no way I would be able drink as much as I do now.
I shall report again in near future..fasting is still on going thing...I hope...

 

[Anna Lozikevich]

or maybe it is because I'm drinking MUCH more liquids that I would normally when eating food but with low carb content.

Finsky, how much liquid are you drinking these days? And what do you drink, pure water?

 

[Finsky]

Finsky, how much liquid are you drinking these days? And what do you drink, pure water?

While I'm fasting I'm drinking about 3 litres..that's made from black coffee, water, broth and herbal teas. But when drinking that much, I have quite high salt intake, from broth..
Normally I probably drink about half of that amount of fluids as I get rest that I need from food.

 

[revive@2]

many thanks to above comments .it has puzzle me this smell?
no one else can smell it but sickly like a cancer ward .so it is carb diet .strict ,hope it go away once I have been on it a while .make me feel sickly ????revive@2