Understanding Body Odors: From Garlic to Fruity Breath, What Your Scent Says About Your Health

2024-07-15 17:30:05

There are as many body odors as there are people on Earth. Whether very specific, attractive or repulsive, the body odor can change throughout life and smell different depending on the person’s emotional state, age, menstrual cycle, medications that a person takes, but also food. For example, garlic, onion, curry or dairy products make it more fragrant and a little more “acidic”.

Certain body odors, such as sweat or breath, can also indicate certain health problems, usually of metabolic origin. This is also the case with diabetes (type 1), more precisely with diabetic ketoacidosis (one of the serious complications of diabetes) which can change a person’s breathing. “You may not notice it until someone else mentions it, but doctors can smell you as soon as you walk into a roomhe immediately informs Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief physician of the department at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, interviewed on the American site Women’s Health.

Here’s what happens: Your body can’t create the energy it needs to function properly, so it starts breaking down fatty acids for fuel. This causes a buildup of acidic chemicals called “ketones” in your blood. One of the larger ketones – acetone – tends to leave your breath smelling fruity. Specifically, the breath smells a bit like a mixture of apple juice and nail polish remover.No wonder because nail polish removers contain acetone“, he explains.

Fruity breath taken alone is not a systemic sign of diabetic ketoacidosis. Usually, this endocrine complication is accompanied by other symptoms, such as unexplained fatigue, dry mouth, blurred vision, intense thirst, frequent urge to urinate and sometimes weight loss. But in many cases, patients do not make the connection between all these symptoms, which delays diagnosis and treatment. “If you notice a fruity smell on your breath and any of these symptoms accompany it, especially abdominal pain or difficulty breathing, you should go to the Emergency Department as soon as possible.“, he advises.