The NHS urges you to ‘see a GP’ if you have particularly fruity breath.
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The sensation of a sweet fruity taste can be detected in the breath
No one wants to have bad breath in their mouth, but these breaths may be the body’s way of telling us that something is wrong with our overall health.
Persistent bad breath can often be caused by poor oral hygiene, a poor diet, strong-flavored foods, alcohol or medication.
However, the sensation of a sweet fruit taste that can be detected in the breath, without eating any fruit, may be a warning sign of a dangerous condition, type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes stems from the body’s inability to produce a hormone called insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar levels.
Stripped of this basic mechanism, your blood glucose can reach dangerous levels, increasing your risk of heart disease and nerve problems.
Fortunately, blood sugar does not tend to rise without warning signs. And while the symptoms may seem vague and subtle, knowing what to look for is the first step in identifying them.
ketoacidosis
And breath that smells like fruit could indicate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which describes a potentially life-threatening complication, according to the University of Maryland.
Diabetic ketoacidosis develops when your body does not produce enough insulin. During this state, the body loses its main source of energy, so it has to resort to alternatives.
The body then begins to rapidly break down fat as energy, producing acidic chemicals known as ketones.
However, the body is not able to process the fat at its usual rate because this happens too quickly.
The acid then begins to build up in the blood and can eventually poison the body, which describes a process known as ketoacidosis.
And it is precisely these high levels of ketones in the blood that can cause bad breath.
This warning sign can also affect people with type 2 diabetes, but these symptoms are less common in this type.
Diabetic symptoms
The NHS urges you to “see a GP” if you have fruity breath.
Apart from bad breath, type 1 diabetes also causes symptoms that include:
Feeling very thirsty.
Urinating more than usual (especially at night).
– Feeling very tired.
Losing weight without trying.
– The thrush that keeps coming back.
blurred vision
Wounds that do not heal quickly.