# Do YOU think keto/nailPolish/acetone breath smells bad?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 24, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517 "2018-07-24T18:00:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/1 "2018-07-24T18:00:40Z")
When someone is fasting or doing a ketosis diet, their breath will start to smell like acetone. There’s no way to completely prevent this. You can only mask it with mint, mouthwash and gum.
With each breath you will literally breath out small amounts of acetone from your lungs, and other ketones.
But the question is does this odor smell bad to YOU personally?
Some people say nail-polish remover smells sweet and I’ve heard others say its disgusting. Please vote in the poll too.
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### Author:  [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/2 "2018-07-24T18:29:19Z")
Smells like my old hometown to me. Albeit that was the site of a huge chemical plant that belched enough acetone into the air to cover any mild odor from one’s breath.
However it is a pungent smell, and not particularly pleasant to smell coming from another person.
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### Author:  [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/3 "2018-07-24T18:47:10Z")
I wasn’t sure how o vote. I like the smell of nail polish remover but I’ve never smelled anything like it come out of a person. I have been around people on the Adkins diet and their breaths were pretty rancid. Is it the same chemical process? Also, we have acetone inside our bodies? What the. . . ? Also, also, - and this is going to sound weird- does anybody notice that cantaloupe sometimes tastes like the smell of nail polish?😕
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### Author:  [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2018, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/4 "2018-07-24T18:54:46Z")
Never experienced this smell. The only bad breath I’ve smelt was people with gross teeth or smokers, and, obviously, people that just ate a lot of garlic.
Coincidentally, I am starting a low-carb diet… I’ll have to ask the misses if it does something to my breath, although she’s on it too, so maybe she won’t be able to smell it. Hmmm.
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### Author:  [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/5 "2018-07-24T19:21:23Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#):
>
> I wasn’t sure how o vote. I like the smell of nail polish remover but I’ve never smelled anything like it come out of a person. I have been around people on the Adkins diet and their breaths were pretty rancid. Is it the same chemical process? Also, we have acetone inside our bodies? What the. . . ? Also, also, - and this is going to sound weird- does anybody notice that cantaloupe sometimes tastes like the smell of nail polish?😕
Well actually the breath is stronger during a complete water-only fast. That’s from my personal experience. When I was doing my fast, nobody said anything about my breath when I talked to them, so maybe its not a bad smell to most people.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/6 "2018-07-24T20:13:57Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#):
>
> I wasn’t sure how o vote. I like the smell of nail polish remover but I’ve never smelled anything like it come out of a person. I have been around people on the Adkins diet and their breaths were pretty rancid. Is it the same chemical process? Also, we have acetone inside our bodies? What the. . . ? Also, also, - and this is going to sound weird- does anybody notice that cantaloupe sometimes tastes like the smell of nail polish?😕
One of the signs that a diabetic is in ketoacidosis is described as “a fruity smell to the breath.” (ETA: I _have_ detected it in **kaylasmom** on occasion.)
So, cantaloupe isn’t out of the question. Also bananas.
In fact, when I started reading Wodehouse, I noted that Bertie Wooster was wont to call a scheme that he didn’t think was sound “Banana oil.” I presumed that it referred to the fragrance of acetone, a volatile fluid the huffing of which would tend to impair one’s cognitive processes.
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/7 "2018-07-24T20:20:36Z")
Eh.
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/8 "2018-07-24T20:40:59Z")
It kinda smells like death to me.
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/9 "2018-07-24T20:51:41Z")
Another not have noticed it vote, as in nothing so noticeable to be on the radar screen. I have smelt those who were on a high carb/low protein diet who are engaged in high levels of daily activities and they stunk to high heaven, which should be a similar odor to those doing the same with a high protein/fat low carb diet doing the same thing however they didn’t develop that type of funk.
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### Author:  [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/10 "2018-07-24T20:54:42Z")
It doesn’t smell like acetone to me. I quite like the scent of acetone, and I have a thing going with doing and redoing my nails so I’m well acquainted with the odor.
I do not like the smell of ketosis breath. It doesn’t smell fruity to me.
But things smell different to everybody.
PS I never tell someone they have bad breath. I might offer them an Altoid. To me this means exactly the same thing. And if someone ever offers me a breath mint, by god I take it.
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### Author:  [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2018, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/11 "2018-07-25T03:44:42Z")
so, not a single vote said it smells good.
Doesn’t it smell fruity?
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### Author:  [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2018, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/12 "2018-07-25T05:16:49Z")
> [@Contemplation](#):
>
> so, not a single vote said it smells good.
> Doesn’t it smell fruity?
It’s not fruity to me, I work around it every day, it’s one of the largest volume solvents we use…I don’t always smell it, in the plant there are significant remediation measures used to handle any real vapor, in the lab, we generally use it in a hood, but not always…t
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### Author:  [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2018, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-keto-nailpolish-acetone-breath-smells-bad/818517/13 "2018-07-26T16:11:09Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> In fact, when I started reading Wodehouse, I noted that Bertie Wooster was wont to call a scheme that he didn’t think was sound “Banana oil.” I presumed that it referred to the fragrance of acetone, a volatile fluid the huffing of which would tend to impair one’s cognitive processes.
Off topic: I don’t know about dieters’ breath, but I believe the term “Banana Oil” was a nonsense phrase to describe nonsense. See also: Bunk, Applesauce, Hooey, Hokum, Horse Feathers, Poppycock, etc.