Why does fasting make your breath stink

Floss at least once a day. Clean your tongue using tongue scrapers or separate toothbrush. Use alcohol-free mouthwash. Related Articles. Clinic Hours. Saturday - Wednesday. Michael Formenius Dr. Soulaf Shaker Dr. Eman Haggag Dr. Thomas Lyth Dr. Shakiba Ansari Dr. Aristeidis Troulis Dr. Even people with otherwise faultless breath and dental hygiene may experience issues when they are hungry. Hunger breath tends to be most commonly experienced among those fasting or partaking in an ultra low-calorie diet.

Fortunately, the experience of hunger breath is unlikely to be linked to serious oral health issues. Instead, it is a side-issue caused by lack of food.

As such, there are a number of effective solutions to the problem. It is believed that missing meals or generally being hungry can impact the breath in two different ways 1. These often work together, making the overall effect more potent, and leading to the issue often referred to as hunger breath.

After consuming food our body breaks down our meal into basic glucose molecules. These energy molecules are then distributed around the body in the bloodstream in order to fuel your daily activities. Most commonly we then fall back to our energy reserves — the fat that our bodies store for times of famine.

As many low-calorie dieters have discovered, the process of breaking down fats releases so-called ketone bodies 2. A side-effect of that is the production of unpleasant scents, which are frequently removed from the body on the breath.

The saliva in your mouth can have seemingly magical properties for controlling the breath. Both the fluid consistency and the pH of saliva can help to wash away food particles from the mouth and inhibit bacterial growth. Combined, your saliva helps to keep volatile sulphur compounds VSCs under control, therefore, acting as a natural remedy to malodorous breath 3.

That said, it should come as no surprise that the volume of saliva we produce is far from consistent throughout the day. Between meals, however, the flow of saliva declines. What this means is that the longer one goes without food, the lower your salivary flow is likely to be, and the more likely it is that you will experience bad breath.

As you can see, hunger breath can be a result of one or either of these problems, though the most potent cases can combine both. If you find that you regularly suffer from hunger breath, try to keep some snacks to hand.

Thus you can nibble when necessary and never let your body go into ketosis. Also, be certain to avoid missing breakfast, as so many of us do, or you will put yourself at adverse risk of hunger breath when you arrive at work in the morning. A second method for controlling hunger breath is to address the low salivary flow.

Chewing gum can be a great way to increase the flow of saliva, helping to address bad breath. Just as food can increase the flow of saliva, so too can drinking fluids. Keeping a bottle of water on hand, and drinking it throughout the day, can be a beneficial tool in the fight against bad breath. It can also help to keep your stomach full for longer, preventing any embarrassing stomach rumbles. Our saliva plays an important role in protecting our mouth and decreasing bacterial growth.

When fasting, our saliva flow is reduced, and therefore, we have less protection against the oral bacteria that can cause bad breath or halitosis. When you break your fast, your salivary glands will begin to stimulate again and fight against these bacteria. Caring for your teeth and gums should not take the backseat during Ramadan.

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