# Interesting side note on the recent Carnitine-Heart Disease regarding odor



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.3145.html

Most of the press has been about the potential role of Carnitine (a compound found in meat from mammals in high concentrations) and hardening of the arteries.

However I noticed something and it may have some interest for our odor problem people. Although this is more odor in sweat than intestinal gas odor.

Carnitine is metabolised in a similar way to Choline, and like Choline is converted to TMAU, Carnitine is converted by bacteria in the colon to TMAO. This is the compound they think is a problem with cholesterol metabolism, but what they did find interesting is that how much of that you make is dependent on your regular diet.

TMAO has a strong odor that like TMAU is sometimes called fishy (but we know TMAU can also smell more garbage or fecal depending on the person, concentration, etc.

People who are vegetarians or vegans lose the bacteria that convert Carnitine over time so generally don't make much TMAO. So I don't know if a trial run of vegetarian for a few months to see if that reduces odor would do any good, but might be one of the things to consider.

This may also be why some people find probiotics help a bit, if they happen to replace out those bacteria with ones that don't produce the odor.


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## lisahermes (Feb 22, 2013)

So people with fecal odors and leaky gas probably have some form of tmau??


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Not necessarily. You can have sulfur-reducing bacteria making Hydrogen sulfide and other sulferous gases that also are smells associated with feces.

That bacteria in the colon can make TMAO isn't the same thing as in humans when you are missing an enzyme that has you make TMAU when you shouldn't be.


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## lisahermes (Feb 22, 2013)

Thank you. Have you ever heard of anyone curing the sulfur reducing bacteria?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

No specific way to get rid of those bacteria that I know of, but pepto bismol taken regularly (and for me even in relatively small doses) can absorb the odor.

I find when I take iron supplements those bacteria get going, but most of the time I tend to be a methane producer which is not smelly.

A diet that is lower in sulfur will give them less to make odor of as well.


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## thickthighs1 (Apr 12, 2013)

but I smelled when I was a mostly soy eating person...lots of gas...don't eat red meat though


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Carnatine in red meat may lead to TMAO but that is not the one and only smelly compound made from food.

Any food with protein has sulfur in it and you need some to survive. Also onions, garlic and other foods have sulfur in them.

You may just have a lot of sulfur reducing bacteria and they will feed on any sulfur from any food source, they don't care if it is from red meat or not.

So reducing red meat may not be a cure all for everyone, but it probably wouldn't hurt anyone who eats it regularly to try skipping it for a couple of weeks to see if things are better.

Soy will also lead to lots of gas volume as there are a couple of carbohydrates in it no human on the planet can digest. They are readily digested by bacteria and most bacteria release gas when they digest carbs.

Most of your gas volume comes from carbohydrates, much of the smell comes from sulfur (some may come from other things as well as we just saw in this new research) and most of the smelly compounds you need a tiny amount to make a huge smell. So a very smelly fart is usually mostly odorless gas, but with just enough stinky gas to make it really noticeable.


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## thickthighs1 (Apr 12, 2013)

this sounds so depressing..what can we eat?..somethings in the FODMAP I can not eat-I take Coumadin-still have to work on the eating plan..cant afford a dietician..but everthig will work out
This website is a Godsend


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