Bad Breath & Weight Loss

Weight loss can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of developing certain conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease, and lower levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. However, along with the many benefits weight loss provides comes the potential for one unfortunate drawback: bad breath. Depending on your dieting methods, dropping pounds can cause an uninviting odor to take residence in your mouth.

Low-Carb Diets

Under a balanced diet, digestive enzymes break down simple and complex carbohydrates into soluble molecules, which enter the bloodstream and provide the body energy. However, when you deprive your body of carbohydrates, it enters "ketosis," a state in which the body uses fat for energy. Ketosis releases chemicals called ketones, or ketone bodies, into the breath and urine, causing halitosis in low-carb dieters. Bad breath is most likely to manifest in the first phase of the Atkins diet or South Beach diet, as carb consumption is most restricted at these stages.

Dehydration

Saliva contains the protein lactoferrin and enzyme lysozyme, which prevent the formation of bacteria in the mouth. Lactoferrin binds to and degrades the cell walls in bacteria, which allows the lysozymes to enter and break down the entire bacterial cell. Failing to drink enough water, however, reduces the production of saliva, allowing bacteria to grow inside your mouth and cause bad breath. If you're exercising regularly to lose weight, you might not be hydrating yourself sufficiently.

Fasting

It might seem counterintuitive, but skipping meals can cause bad breath, rather than prevent it. Forgoing meals is not only a dangerous method of weight loss, but brushing your teeth and flossing won't fight the bad breath hunger produces, as the source of the problem isn't oral. Morning breath isn't just the result of food particles or reduced saliva production: morning hunger can produce malodorous breath even after brushing.

Meals

If you've overhauled your diet, the foods you're eating could be altering the scent of your breath. Most of us know garlic and onions cause foul-smelling breath after consumption, but so can orange juice and cheese. Those who are lactose intolerant might also develop bad breath after consuming dairy products.