On Mon, 18 Jun 2001, Cheyenne Loon wrote:

> Since the topic of ketosis has come up, I have a general question.  I
> came across a magazine article profiling the pros & cons of various
> diets.  The article was in some women's fashion magazine, and
> predictably, it slammed low-carb/no-grain/paleo diets in favour of
> low-fat diets.  One argument they used against Atkins and other
> ketogenic diets was that they made your breath stink.  I'd never heard
> this before - is this really true??  (all I remember about my brief
> flirtation w/ ketosis is that it made my pee smell vaguely like
> asparagus...)

Here's the deal.  In ketosis your body makes three kinds of
ketones, only two of which are usable; the third kind must be
excreted.  That's acetone.  It is excreted via the urine, sweat,
or breath, and it does have a smell that most people don't like
(think of nail polish).  If you are drinking plenty of water,
most of the acetone should exit via the urine, but since the
stuff is volatile, there may still be some in your breath, from
spilling out of the blood during gas transfer in the lungs.  The
extent to which this is noticeable depends on the "depth" of
ketosis, i.e., the actual concentration of ketones in the blood.
And that depends on how severely you restrict carbs, and also on
how much metabolic demand for fat-burning there is.

Todd Moody
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