bad breath

ReginaKeat

I noticed I am having serous bad breath days. I did not have this previously. I brush my teeth and take care of my mouth. Is this from rapid weight loss?

rpyle111

I have heard that Ketosis causes pretty nasty breath. I believe this is the result of Atkins'like diets where there is a ton of protein. I am sure I am not completely technically correct, but if you have recently increased protein a lot, that may be the reason.

katematt313

Rob may be right. Being in a state of ketosis may result in what is commonly called "K-breath"; it can be accompanied by a faint metallic taste. Basically, when you are eating very few carbohydrates, your body goes into ketosis (not diabetic ketoacidosis - bane of T1 diabetics), where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbs for fuel. You can determine if you are in ketosis by measuring the ketones in your urine (they have dipsticks for this). Ketones are the waste products of ketosis. Low carbers believe that ketosis is a sign of dietary success. The good news is that if you up your water intake, you may be able to flush the ketones out of your body faster, and it can help with your bad breath. If you are concerned, though, you may want to see your dentist.

ReginaKeat

Thanks. I will make sure I drink a lot of water. I am on my 2 week pre surgery liquid diet. Virtually no carbs at all. That must be the reason why.

katematt313

there you go. good luck.

mlomago19

I definitely have the ketosis breath. I find that chewing sugar free gum or having a sugar free hard candy will help. I also find that drinking through the day is more important post surgery instead of getting in all of your water in the morning and then not worrying about it.

One thing for anyone right out of surgery though, If you have bad breath and a metallic taste AND see your tongue get chalky or white consult the Dr. I ended up with Thrush out of the hospital (thought it was simply the ketosis). Apparently it isn't uncommon since you have a drastic change in diet before and after the surgery and apparently this can upset the bacterial balance in your mouth. A pretty cheap Rx mouthwash for a few days did the trick...

wilrhy

I have had the same problem. I carry sugar free gum with me.

pawoodhull

I was told to not chew gum because it can cause you to swallow air. Air in the new tummy is not good, so check with your doctor first. I was warned about this and told that dilution was the solution. So drink lots of water throughout the day, dilute the ketosis and it helps a lot. Good luck.

2BeHappy2

Yeah...I used to be a gumaholic...I could actually chew on the same piece for a couple hours.
I tried today and I noticed I got a fair amount of saliva build up, so much so that after maybe 5 minutes I had to throw it out....that's not like me

wilrhy

I usually do not chew gum--but keep it in my purse in-case--If I get that smelly breath I would rather pop it in my mouth for a few min--than offend someone. I have only had 1 bad day so far~~~(breath)