Dehydration. When someone is dehydrated, it makes their urine more concentrated. The urine may appear very yellow, or even brown and more concentrated urine smells stronger. While the most common smell is a pungent ammonia odor, some people report that their urine smells sweet or fruity.
One warning sign of diabetes or high blood sugar is urine that smells sweet or fruity. The sweetness comes from sugar in your urine and is a sign your body is trying to get rid of extra sugar in your blood.
Outside of diabetes, there are other reasons why your urine (pee) may smell sweet, including bacterial urinary tract infections (UTIs), liver disease, and a rare genetic disorder called maple syrup urine disease.
Foul-Smelling Urine: Dehydration
“You always have a certain amount of ammonia in your urine. When you have more water, the ammonia is diluted, and it smells less intense. Whereas with dehydration, the concentration of ammonia is going to be higher and the smell would be stronger,” Dr. Kaaki says.
Treatment methods for sweet-smelling urine depend on the cause of the symptom. Antibiotics and other prescription medications may be the best treatment course for urinary tract infections and breath of the dead. Insulin therapy is the best treatment for diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis.
Bad breath – Next time you notice your breath smells, you may need to reach for a glass of water instead of gum. That's because dehydration reduces saliva production in the mouth, which can lead to excess growth of bacteria that creates a bad odor.
Why does my urine smell sweet? Urine may smell sweet if it contains extra glucose, which is a type of sugar. Diabetes is a common causes of this, but the smell of someone's urine can also change for other reasons. Urine can reveal a lot about someone's health.
Prediabetes is used to describe blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. For some people, noticing that urine smells sweet or fruity can be a first sign that something is different, which can lead to being diagnosed with diabetes.
Dark urine is deeper in color than urine that is usually straw to yellow in color. Darker urine can be different colors, but is usually brown, deep yellow, or maroon.
A lab may test your urine for the presence of glucose and ketones. If either is present in the urine, it could mean there's not enough insulin in the body. High glucose levels could also mean that your blood glucose levels are high at the time of the test.
“Diabetes starts as a silent disease, advancing painlessly, almost imperceptibly,” says Dr. Ferrer, who sees 25 to 30 diabetic patients per week. “It mainly attacks the small blood vessels, damaging the kidneys, eyes, and nerves.” It can also affect larger blood vessels.
Eating a lot of protein
As a result, the ketone level in the blood will rise. When these ketones leave the body in the urine, the urine may smell sweet or similar to popcorn.
Q: Why does my urine smell like maple syrup? A: If you notice a very distinct sweet smell as you urinate, this could mean one of two things: maple syrup urine disease or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Maple syrup urine disease is a metabolic disorder that causes certain amino acids to build up in the body.
Kidney dysfunction can also cause high bacteria and protein levels in the urine, which will contribute to a foul ammonia smell.
Acetoacetate levels can be measured through your urine with a ketone urine strip, which turns various shades of pink or purple depending on the ketone level of your urine. Darker colors typically mean that your urine contains higher levels ( 10 , 11 ).
People without diabetes can also have ketones in the urine if their body is using fat for fuel instead of glucose. This can happen with chronic vomiting, extreme exercise, low-carbohydrate diets (ketogenic or keto diets), or eating disorders.
Type 2 diabetes symptoms often take several years to develop. Some people don't notice any symptoms at all.
People with type 2 diabetes often have no symptoms at first. They may not have symptoms for many years. According to Medlineplus.gov, early symptoms of diabetes caused by a high blood sugar level may include: Bladder, kidney, skin, or other infections that are more frequent or heal slowly.
Symptoms include sexual problems, digestive issues (a condition called gastroparesis), trouble sensing when your bladder is full, dizziness and fainting, or not knowing when your blood sugar is low.
Common symptoms of diabetes: Urinating often. Feeling very thirsty. Feeling very hungry—even though you are eating.