
Why does carnitine make you scent like fish? Enzymes are nature’s catalysts and act to hurry up biochemical processes. Without this enzyme, meals containing carnitine, choline and/or trimethylamine
Trimethylamine
Trimethylamine is an organic compound with the formula N(CH₃)₃. This colorless, hygroscopic, and flammable tertiary amine has a strong "fishy" odor in low concentrations and an ammonia-like odor at higher concentrations. It is a gas at room temperature but is usually sold in pressurized ga…
Do carnitine supplements cause fishy odor syndrome?
One of the threads noted that carnitine supplements build muscle and lead to fishy odor syndrome. Hmmm. While the forums are just personal experiences and not a substitute for professional medical advice, plenty of the participants expressed concerns about the supplement.
What should I know about L-carnitine before taking it?
Tell your doctor about any supplements you’re taking, even if they’re natural. That way, your doctor can check on any potential side effects or interactions with medications. Side effects. L-carnitine supplements can sometimes cause nausea, diarrhea, cramps, or vomiting. High doses can make you smell "fishy." Risks.
Where does L-carnitine come from?
Most carnitine comes from the liver and kidneys, but you also get some from food. Most supplements contain one type of carnitine called L-carnitine. It's the same type that's in food. Why do people take L-carnitine?
What are the side effects of carnitine?
According to the NIH, ingesting three grams of carnitine supplements can cause some unpleasant side effects such as nausea and vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and a fishy body odor. However, the University of Maryland Medical Center's fact sheet on carnitine said that the side effect was rare.

Does L-carnitine cause fishy smell?
When taken by mouth: L-carnitine is likely safe when taken for up to 12 months. It can cause side effects such as stomach upset, heartburn, diarrhea, and seizures. It can also cause the urine, breath, and sweat to have a "fishy" odor.
Can supplements cause fishy smell?
Choline, present in many multivitamins and B-complex blends, has been associated with a fishy body odor, but only in individuals with a rare metabolic disorder known as trimethylaminuria, who are missing enzymes that normally causes a fishy-smelling compound called trimethylamine to be excreted in urine.
Does Acetyl-L-carnitine make your urine smell?
When taken by mouth: Acetyl-L-carnitine is likely safe for most people. It can cause some side effects including stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, headache, and restlessness. It can also cause a "fishy" odor of the urine, breath, and sweat.
How do you get rid of fishy body odor?
Trimethylaminuria, or TMAU, is a very rare condition that makes your sweat, breathe, saliva and pee smell like rotten fish or rotten eggs. TMAU can't be cured. But making changes in your diet, using certain soaps and lotions and managing stress can help reduce symptoms.
Will Omega 3 make me smell fishy?
Adverse Effects and Contraindications Taking fish-oil supplements can cause the skin, breath, and urine to have a fishy smell. It is generally believed that higher intakes of omega-3 fatty acids will lead to an increase in hemorrhagic complications.
Why do my vitamins smell like fish?
They are a little bigger but they contain DHA which is important for brain development. Listen, they do smell a little fishy, they have DHA in them, that is obviously fish. Fish is fishy. Don't be smelling the container when you take them, just throw it in your mouth and swallow with water!
Does L-carnitine burn belly fat?
L-carnitine burns fat Not only does this decrease the amount of fat that your body stores, but it also helps reduce visceral belly fat, the kind that surrounds your vital organs and potentially leads to fatty liver disease and other serious health conditions.
What are the side effects of carnitine?
At doses of approximately 3 g/day, carnitine supplements can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and a "fishy" body odor [1,2]. Rarer side effects include muscle weakness in uremic patients and seizures in those with seizure disorders.
Does L-carnitine burn fat?
Conclusions: l-carnitine supplementation provides a modest reducing effect on body weight, BMI and fat mass, especially among adults with overweight/obesity.
How do I know if I have trimethylaminuria?
A urine test can show whether a person has high levels of trimethylamine in their urine. People may also undergo genetic testing, which can show whether there is a mutation in the FMO3 gene that causes trimethylaminuria.
Can vitamins make your VAG smell?
Obviously you should keep taking your vitamins if you need to, but Dr. Boyle says taking too much vitamin B "can cause strange odors, especially if you're taking a large host of multivitamins." It's also worth noting that what's unpleasant to one person isn't unpleasant to another.
Why does choline smell fishy?
However, normal individuals can smell of rotting fish if 20 g of pure choline is given to them orally. 10 This is because of the resultant excessive production of trimethylamine, which exceeds the capacity of the normal healthy liver to oxidise it to a non-odorous oxide.
What trimethylamine smells like?
Trimethylamine is notable for its unpleasant smell. It is the chemical that gives rotten fish a bad smell. When the normal metabolic process fails, trimethylamine accumulates in the body, and its odor is detected in the person's sweat, urine and breath.
Where does carnitine come from?
Most carnitine comes from the liver and kidneys, but you also get some from food. Most supplements contain one type of carnitine called L-carnitine. It's the same type that's in food.
What animal has the highest carnitine levels?
Carnitine is in many animal products. Red meat has the highest levels. A 4-ounce beef steak has an estimated 56 mg to 162 mg of carnitine. Carnitine is also found in smaller amounts in chicken, milk and dairy products, fish, beans, and avocado.
Can L-carnitine cause nausea?
L-carnitine supplements can sometimes cause nausea, diarrhea, cramps, or vomi ting. High doses can make you smell "fishy.". Risks. If you have Alzheimer's disease, a seizure disorder, or kidney disease, talk to a doctor before using L-carnitine supplements.
Does L-carnitine help with pre-term babies?
People with genetic problems and some diseases -- as well as pre-term babies -- may have low levels. L-carnitine supplements may help them. L-carnitine is a popular supplement for athletes. However, studies have not found that it helps improve sports performance, muscle adaptions, or endurance.
Can pregnant women take L-carnitine?
Given the lack of evidence about its safety, doctors don't recommend L-carnitine for pregnant women. Interactions. If you take any medicines regularly, you must talk to your doctor before you start using L-carnitine supplements. They could interact with many drugs such as antibiotics for infections.
Can carnitine help with cancer?
It is thought that patients with cancer may become carnitine deficient, and so carnitine supplementation can be helpful to reduce chemotherapy side effects. We need more research to know for sure, though. Researchers are still studying to find out if carnitine can improve memory and thinking problems in older people.
