Weight Loss and Bad Breath

Why can weight loss sometimes cause bad breath?

During weight loss, ketones (the by-product of fat burning), are excreted through your breath as well as through the urine. Unfortunately, that can cause unpleasant breath for some people.

When on a ketogenic diet, we generally suggest that people use sugarless gum or breath spray to combat “keto-breath”. It’s also helpful to keep your mouth moist by sipping water throughout the day. Adding a thin, fresh lemon slice to your water also helps. Some people chew a bit of the lemon rind for the fresh flavor. Parsley is also a natural breath freshener, so you may want to chew a sprig of fresh parsley, when convenient.

An alternative and effective treatment is taking chlorophyll capsules (90-100 mg a day, usually at night).

While bad breath can be an unpleasant side effect of being in ketosis during weight loss; but look at it this way, you’re having this problem because you’re burning so much fat, and that’s not bad at all!