Recently, in a private fructose malabsorption support group, a member posted about how she had strugged with bad breath issues for years and had just recently found their source and resolved them.
A friend initially went to the doctor BECAUSE of her bad breath. Her family were complaining. I am not sure whether it was an ammonia smell though. She was sent for the fructose breath test and subsequently diagnosed with fructmal! So the doctor obviously believed it was a symptom.
She, (the poster), went on to explain a state called Ketosis1 , which is when ketone levels in the body are elevated. This occurs when the body (and brain) isn’t getting enough carbs, and thus occasionally occurs in practitioners of low-carb diets. A side effect of ketosis is ketosis breath or keto-breath – breath that smells somewhat like acetone and somewhat like rotten apples.
Yuck.
The fix? More carbs, obviously. Ketosis is not a diet – it is a physical state that should not be entered without expert medical guidance – and it’s not the intended goal of most low-carb diets. However, if you are going to maintain a state of ketosis, sleep easy knowing that many once keto-breath sufferers have reported that it went away within a few weeks without significant or intentional dietary change.
If you don’t want to wait weeks – and who would? – consider the following short-term breath tips:
- Drink more water.
- Mint, parsley, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cardamom and other natural breath fresheners will help mask the odor (like deodorant, but for your mouth).
- Good breath capsules, which are usually made from parsley oil (e.g. Mint Assure) are either a cure-all or snake oil, depending on whom you ask.
- Chew gum regularly.
