Sweat smells powerfully of ammonia?

sgpaschak

I'm not sure why this has started happening, but during my workouts, which are intense, I sweat a lot, and recently my sweat has started to smell extremely acrid and powerfully of ammonia.

I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this? Is it dangerous? What can I do to fix it?


Thanks for any advice

tiggerbounce411

Hmm, I would google this and see what you can find.

chuckyp

Somebody else just posted a topic for this very thing a couple days ago. Might search the forums for what came of it.

jchester71

You need to see a doctor immediately (like today). It may be a sign of a serious kidney problem.

jram70

I have experienced it and it usually occurs when I haven't been working out much and start again. Something to do with not enough carbohydrates. I don't worry about it as it passes quickly (for me) once I start working out regularly which makes me eat better as well.

Dtrmnd86

It used to happen to me a lot while running. Not sure why. It hasn't happened in a while though because I haven't been running :-/ I think it's normal though.

thcri

I have read about this before. I will try and do a search, I think I saw it on one of my biking pags.

thcri

Here


http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/nutrition/ammonia-sweat-smell.htm

Shweedog

A high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet is generally what leads to sweat stinking of ammonia. Basically, it works like this. When someone with this sort of diet begins to exercise, his or her body is quickly forced to turn to proteins for the necessary energy. To do this, amino acids are broken down into various components, parts of which are converted into glucose. Other elements that come out of the process are waste products, and if the body can't handle everything being sent its way, the leftovers are excreted out through the skin. Ammonia is one form that ready-to-go waste can take.

**Taken from Discovery Health

FearAnLoathing

It happens to me sometimes
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ammonia.htm
http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/nutrition/ammonia-sweat-smell.htm

Snakey74

Try this:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ammonia.htm
Hope it helps!

Dtrmnd86

I googled and found this : http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/nutrition/ammonia-sweat-smell.htm

Seems pretty normal.

twilight_princess

Are you on a high protein diet or have a lot of muscle? If so maybe your body is using protein as an energy source for your workout and ammonia is a breakdown product of protein.

For me I have a balanced diet and store mainly fat (and lots of it) and my urine smells like ketones which is the product of fat metabolism. I don't mind as at least I know what my body is doing.

sgpaschak

Thanks for all the rapid responses! I love this site! This is kind of what I thought. I will try having a sports drink on hand or maybe have a piece of fruit an hour or so before exercise to add some fuel.

On the bright side I guess this means that I am getting a pretty good work out in though!

jjs22

If you think about it, fats and carbs are made of carbon and oxygen. If you burn these completely (with additional oxygen from your lungs) then you are left with CO2 and H20, which leave your body with no smell.

But protein (amino acids) contain nitrogen. If your body burns protein (either from your diet or by consuming bodily tissues such as muscle), those nitrogen atoms have to go somewhere. For some reason, your body doesn't make N2, which would also be completely odorless. Instead it makes ammonia and urea (which is like two ammonia molecules stuck together). Urea is removed from you blood by your kidneys, but it also gets carried out by sweat. And (this is really strange !) the ammonia gets passed out through your lungs - you actually exhale ammonia ! Even though urea itself is odorless, it breaks down into ammonia very easily - think of an unflushed toilet or an untended litterbox.

Anyway, as to you original question, *IF* you are eating a low carb, high protein diet, then the ammonia smell is a normal and expected result. It doesn't mean that you need to eat more carbs, but that should diminish the smell. I would also think that drinking lots of water would lower the urea in your bloodstream, and so reduce the smell without the unwanted effects of adding carbs.