6 Reasons Your Breath Reeks—Other Than Bad Hygiene
You might have diabetes. Sugar in your bloodstream normally heads into your cells, where it’s used for energy.
If that doesn’t happen, your blood sugar rises, and your cells start burning fat for energy. The byproduct of that process is ketones, which can make your breath smell fruity, says Shilpi Agarwal, M.D., a family medicine doctor and integrative medicine physician in Washington, D.C.
“If I noticed that in a patient, I would test his blood sugar,” to see if he’s developed diabetes, says Dr. Agarwal.
