When I got back from my 90 min. ride today, I got a very strong smell of, I don't know, it reminded me of chlorine, or ammonia...something. I'd heard that that smell means I'm missing some nutritional component, or I've burned through my energy reserves. Does anyone have any idea what this is and how can I avoid it? thanks!

did you pee your pants? that usually has an ammonia smell

Bean Burrito last night for dinner ?

there's something, i think it's called acetone, that you get on your breath sometimes when you are malnurished. when i was a kid i didn't like eating, and thought it was a waste of time. (i just wanted to ride my bike). my mom used to say, "i can smell acetone on your breath, you need to eat something!"
maybe it was just her way of getting me to eat, but i could smell it, too.

then again, maybe you just smell funny after a ride. maybe it's your "cycler's high" sending mixed messages.

by the way, i really like your quote.

Acetone - a chemical formed in the blood when the body uses fat instead of glucose (sugar) for energy. If acetone forms, it usually means that the cells do not have enough insulin, or cannot use the insulin that is in the blood, to use glucose for energy. Acetone passes through the body into the urine. Someone with a lot of acetone in the body can have breath that smells fruity and is called "acetone breath."

Okay Doctor, is this a good thing or a bad thing???? I go through this when I am on long hikes, cycle tours and canoe trips. I just assumed the smell was from the burning of chemicals, hormones and the spices retained in my fat!

a quick 10-second Google search gave me this info.
And, phatman, if I did, I wouldn't admit it...:-)

oops....THIS info: https://www.fred.net/ultrunr/ammonia.html

Have your doctor check you for diabetes.

What you describe, if it is from your breath, is a typical symptom of diabetes.

That'd be a bad thing Gordon.

Hmmm. I get the ammonia smell sometimes after workouts, too. Mainly after runs... ~.5 hr, mainly anaerobic are about the only runs I do
.

So what is the prognosis Doctor, six months to live?

No, not necessarily....

There are times when people do have a smell of ammonia when they are working out. It's an odor that seems to permeate the nose, and others may not necessarily smell this either. It's normal.

I think (personally) that the ammonia builds up in the blood when you spend an extended amount of time exercising. If you think about anaerobic exercise (or even long endurance events requiring lots of oxygen), when you are in an anaerobic state, you have a decreased amount of oxygen in your system, and at the same time, you are trying to exhale out the carbon dioxide and increase your oxygen intake (the easy explanation). You will breathe faster to make this happen (hyperventilate), but eventually, you will have to slow down, as the lactic acid levels in your body rises to the point where you are unable to take in enough oxygen to perform.

Keeping this in mind, if you look at the typical reaction in your body, ammonia is formed from the breakdown of amino acids. Normally, this excess of ammonia is converted to urea and excreted through urine in the body. The simple formula is:

2 ammonia+ 1 carbon dioxide= urea + water

There are some people who have an excess of urea, which is excreted through the sweat glands.

So, it could be a normal process, or it could be a signal that you are experiencing some kind of renal (kidney) problems. A simple solution way to figure out if there is a urea buildup is to check your skin. I've heard (and read) that there will be a crystal-like solid substance (may look like salt) forming on the skin after sweating during a workout- when urea is sweated out of the sweat glands onto the skin and makes contact with oxygen in the air, the urea is converted back to the ammonia, which could lead to the smell you are experiencing.

The best thing you can do is see a doctor, because if you think you are having some kidney failure, early intervention is the best way to keep this problem under control. They can test your kidneys and determine if you really need to be concerned. I wouldn' t panic in the meantime unless you had a reason to. In the meantime, be sure to drink a lot of water and be alert of any symptoms that may suggest renal failure. I doubt any of you guys are headed in that direction, though. Do you guys (experiencing this smell) eat a lot of protein?

Koffee

This is good info. I get this too, but I usually notice it when I am taking a shower after a good ride. I thought it was just the soap (Dial) reacting with chemicals in my sweat

thank you Koffee, for your detailed answer.

It is hard to explain, but I don't smell that smell in my sweat (like if I sniffed my arm), so much, but rather in my nose. sounds silly?

Do you think asthma has anything to do with it? My asthma has not been controlled very well since my last sinus infection and I had a flare up that same ride that prompted me to post this question.

What you explained makes perfect sense. You will feel as though you are smelling it in the nose. It's supposed to be a strange sensation. It almost smells like a permeating smell, more than a smell as though you sniffed yourself and caught a whiff of yourself.

Not silly at all- a good question to ask.

Koffee

thanks. I'll check with Doogie Howser (our doc looks like a little boy...or is it that I'm getting older...aughhh) the next time I see him.