Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Body Odor

Wife726

By Wife726
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

Wife726 Newbie
Wife726
Posted

My husband does not have Celiac disease; he went gluten-free 6 months ago to improve joint pain and arthritis (it worked). However since then he has gotten increasingly stinky. His breath is awful even post brushing and his skin smells stale and kind of rancid. He has no hygiene issues and his labs show nothing. Had anyone had this happen before? It's incredibly off-putting, but this new way of eating makes him feel a lot better so I feel stuck. Advice? Suggestions? Thank you.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

I am pretty sure it is not related to being gluten free. He must have some underlying medical condition (e.g. Liver, kidney, diabetes), excess weight, or eating spicy foods (that includes Brussel sprouts, broccoli and not just garlic), etc. What did he start eating more of when he gave up gluten? Too much meat?

My hubby and i do not have this issue and we are gluten free because we have celiac disease.

My dog's breath is very bad despite getting teeth cleanings twice a year. We suspect she has cancer as she has many lumps and bumps. She is old, so treating her is out of the question and our vet agrees. Not saying that your husband has cancer, but many things can impact breath and body odor.

Good luck in finding a cause.

CajunChic Explorer
CajunChic
Posted

Has he been eating a lot of meat? Particularly red meat? My doctor told me that was a cause when I found I was more smelly after workouts than normal. I cut back on meats and added more plant protein and it was gone. I hope y'all find the root of his issue!

Wife726 Newbie
Wife726
Posted
  • Author

Thank you everyone for replying. We are vegetarian and eat mostly organic. He's an athlete and his latest bloodwork shows he's in excellent health. The only thing I can relate to the body odor is that it didn't start until he went gluten-free. :(

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

When I lose weight I stink. Is he losing some weight?

Wife726 Newbie
Wife726
Posted
  • Author

This weight has been stable. He may have lost 4 or 5 Lbs initially but nothing since then. I'm going to have him keep a food diary to see if anything stands out.

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Research online. There are many reasons for a significant change in body odor or bad breath but going gluten free is not one of them.

Good luck!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


beth01 Enthusiast
beth01
Posted

When I lose weight I stink. Is he losing some weight?

I hope this wasn't me for the last few years and I just didn't know it or no one told me, I've lost more than I weigh now!

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

I hope this wasn't me for the last few years and I just didn't know it or no one told me, I've lost more than I weigh now!

 

That's impressive!! Wow! 

Waitingindreams Enthusiast
Waitingindreams
Posted

I can't really help you on the skin thing...I sometimes randomly have armpit odor (before applying deodorant) and sometimes I don't. It's like it just depends on whatever my body wants to do. I also use an all natural, aluminum free/antiperspirant free deodorant, so I could still be detoxing.

 

But as for the breath...here is what my story is. (I am not a vegetarian, but I only eat chicken and turkey occasionally - no red meat or pork and rarely, RARELY seafood) After dating my boyfriend for a couple of months, he told me that I have bad breath. Um. What? I go to the dentist every 6 months. Never had a cavity. I brush my teeth every day, twice a day. Never once had anyone else tell me that i have bad breath, and I figured if I had bad breath, I'd 'know' it, wouldn't I? I brushed it off and assumed it was due to eating garlic or onions occasionally. Nope. So then I went crazy trying to pinpoint what foods could be causing my bad breath. I found out that whenever I ate large amounts of dairy without taking my lactaid pills (I am lactose intolerant) that my breath seemed to be bad (I would 'test' it with him) my breath would be bad even if i went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth right before. So I gave up dairy and hoped that would be the end of it...as it was extremely embarrassing, especially with my diligent dental hygiene. But no...it would still be on/off bad. Really bad at times. Salsa and salad dressing also triggered it. I finally went to the doctor and he told me I had acid reflux/GERD. He gave me samples of Pepcid to try. That made it worse. I was really getting frustrated.

 

Finally, I went to a naturopath and he discovered that I have a hiatal hernia. He adjusted it for me...and then all symptoms of bad breath were gone. I even was able to eat a rather large amount of dairy without the bad breath returning...but unfortunately the hernia slid back. I don't want to keep getting this adjusted (and I don't want to have the surgery) so I am trying to lose a good amount of weight and then have it readjusted. I also realized I have low stomach acid (which causes GERD - not high stomach acid) so eating apple cider vinegar temporarily raises my stomach acid and prevents/stops bad breath. For example, I can eat a marinara sauce with garlic in it if I have a salad along with it using homemade apple cider vinegar dressing. No bad breath. If i eat too much fat, it also triggers bad breath (like if I eat a lot of almond butter) so I try to either lower the amount of almond butter I eat, or eat it around when I eat apple cider vinegar. 

 

I really want to find permanent solutions to get rid of the hiatal hernia. I know weight loss/management is a good start. I gained about 60 pounds in a 2 month period when all of my health issues hit me. I was severely bloated (and still have bloating issues periodically, but less frequently and not as bad) at my smallest (before everything escalated) I was a size 8 - I am now a size 10. (getting close! :) ) I feel a size 4 or 6 might be my best bet to keep a smaller weight and prevent my hernia from coming back. It is extremely frustrating. I really don't want the surgery, since the hernia can still come back after the surgery and obviously other complications can arise...I'd rather just do it naturally and have him adjust it for me again. So on his end - it could be low stomach acid and/or a hiatal hernia. I never would have guessed that was causing my issues.

 

I hope you can figure out what is causing his bad breath issues! It is extremely embarrassing and disheartening to deal with it. I was mortified. I still am - I have enough to deal with as it is!

beth01 Enthusiast
beth01
Posted

That's impressive!! Wow!

Not really impressive, kind of scary. I didn't change my diet or exercise and lost 168 pounds. I also didn't change my diet or exercise to gain that much weight either lol. Celiac is messed up.

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

Not really impressive, kind of scary. I didn't change my diet or exercise and lost 168 pounds. I also didn't change my diet or exercise to gain that much weight either lol. Celiac is messed up.

 Definitely!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,557
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    kghorne3
    Newest Member
    kghorne3
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Taken Seriously

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your post demonstrates the profound frustration and isolation that so many in the Celiac community feel, and I want to thank you for channeling that experience into advocacy. The medical gaslighting you endured for decades is an unacceptable and, sadly, a common story, and the fact that you now have to "school" your own GI specialist speaks volumes about the critical lack of consistent and updated education. Your idea to make Celiac Disease a reportable condition to public health authorities is a compelling and strategic one. This single action would force the system to formally acknowledge the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, creating a concrete dataset that could drive better research funding, shape medical school curricula, and validate the patient experience in a way that individual stories alone often cannot. It is an uphill battle, but contacting representatives, as you have done with Adam Gray, is exactly how change begins. By framing it as a public health necessity—a matter of patient safety and protection from misdiagnosis and neglect—you are building a powerful case. Your voice and your perseverance, forged through thirty years of struggle, are exactly what this community needs to ensure that no one else has to fight so hard just to be believed and properly cared for.
    • Scott Adams
      Looking for a gluten-free roomie in Denver CO

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had no idea there is a "Louisville" in Colorado!😉 I thought it was a typo because I always think of the Kentucky city--but good luck!
    • Scott Adams
      Allergy medication: cetirizine by the HealthA2Z is it gluten free?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      Protein or fat?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      Diagnosed celiac for 1-2 months ago and everything makes me bloated.

      By Beverage · Posted

      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.