Why Does My Sweat Smell Like Cleaning Products?

A couple weeks ago I noticed a bizarre odor emanating from me after one of my epic runs. It smelled like Chlorox or bleach or a really astringent cleaning product. I couldn’t really put my finger on it. I thought it may have been something funky with the laundry.

Shortly afterward, it happened again. Then a few days after that, once again. It was definitely my sweat and it happened after working out.

It occurred to me that my diet may have had an impact. I had been drinking protein shakes instead of my typical oatmeal for breakfast. The net carb difference was dozens of grams. I would then drink a shake instead of a carb-loaded sandwich or chips.

Protein shakes can be amazingly delicious and really healthy. They are good choices for the low-sugar, high-fiber foods in Zero to Paleo, and can do wonders.

The results for me were pretty dramatic. I was basically doing the ketogenic diet but instead of a lot of fat, I was maxed out on protein. I felt much more alert. I felt much less mentally tired, but I felt physically tired. My legs were used to sugar and the sugar stores and I had depleted those. I slept better than usual and I wasn’t fidgety. I lost about 9 pounds of bodyweight and .5% body fat.

Protein Metabolism

During my intense workouts, I needed sugar and didn’t have any sugar stored up in my muscles or presumably my liver. But I had lots of protein from those shakes. My body switched into protein metabolism to generate energy. One of the byproducts of protein metabolism is the toxic NH3 or ammonia, which is excreted through urine and sweat.

Lumen Learning explains it this way:

Amino acids can also be used as a source of energy, especially in times of starvation. Because the processing of amino acids results in the creation of metabolic intermediates, including pyruvate, acetyl CoA, acetoacyl CoA, oxaloacetate, and α-ketoglutarate, amino acids can serve as a source of energy production through the Krebs cycle.

Ironically, I didn’t experience this when I was strictly keto. This could be because I wasn’t ketogenic long enough to fully deplete my sugar stores or the fat in the diet was sufficient to prevent protein metabolism.

I’ve tried upping my fat intake to offset the lack of sugar, but I’m still getting cleaning product sweat. It’s a sign that my body is working, but it’s also overworking. You shouldn’t smell like a public bathroom, even a clean one, ever.