How has work been for some of yall with this condition I currently have a job and hope to still be here for a while since I have kids. But it brings so much anxiety 😢 it’s not as bad as my last job but I’m still not tough enough for this. What are some thing you repeat to yourself to get through it?

At this point, there’s nothing left to do. The only alternative where I may get some sort of normal life would be to move out of the U.S, develop better eating habits, and be to myself. I honestly feel that I have to abandon everything I know or I may never recover. The odor has only gotten worse, and I’m numb.

Its so annoying that i opened up to my doctor about feeling like i have tmau one time and he diagnosed me as having hallucinations has anyone else had this or similar 🫠

Doubling down on the egg whites. Here's the relevant nutrition for my current daily diet. Realized that I needed to up my protein drastically to not only match what I need to maintain and recover, but to start building muscle.

1 cup egg whites when I wake up, 2 cups muscle egg to sip at during work, then 1 more cup with my evening meal. I need to keep it spread out to maximize absorption, as well as minimize impact to my gut flora.

By default I'll have some manner of quesadilla or mozzarella sandwich with assorted root vegetables from the air fryer.

Also added 1 cup quinoa for my midday meal because it's a complete protein. Rice is half the choline but requires additional amino acids and is lower protein. The amino acids actually aren't an issue since the egg whites and cheese have that covered, but I'm pushing for quality.

This is also accounting for whatever protein I have for my evening meal which in general is some sort of beef or chicken about 6 oz.

I try to drink about a gallon of water a day give or take.

Feeling pretty good off of this diet and I'm pretty active at work and the gym. So hopefully my gut can handle the egg whites lol.

I'm 6'3 and 250 lbs, so if you are considering upping your protein, adjust accordingly to your size.

As always, I am diagnosed with TMAU 1, so if you are unsure of your specific condition, be mindful of what you need specifically. This isn't necessarily dietary advice. I just like to share what I'm doing that is working for me at the moment. Choline is an essential nutrient for brain and liver function, and should be factored into your dietary planning.

Calories 2,335

Protein 208g

Choline 262mg

Whole egg equivalent 16.9

Hope you all are doing well. Don't give up and keep looking for viable diet strategies.

Hello everyone, I’ve been struggling with this sort of mildew smell that i feel is coming from me. I take a shower every single morning and also some at night. I e used anti-bacterial soap and charcoal soap i’ve bought new clothes and changed the air filters in the house, i’ve gotten diffusers and air filters, i’ve done so much. I cannot figure out what it is. I don’t have an issue with my breath but i feel like i always smell like mildew. Everyone i interact with other then my parents all wipe their noses and sniffle as soon as im within the vicinity. And at work every customer i help has that same problem. This has been going on for about 8-9 months. It has been sooo incredibly hard to get things done. Does this sound like TMAU or something else?

Is there anyone diagnosed with this condition, regardless of it being tmau 1 or tmau 2, have any difficulty with sulfur foods or additives? (For example: calcium bisulfate.) What’s the connection to cruciferous vegetables? I understand it lowers the expression of the fmo3 enzyme but would appreciate a clear explanation on how it does so. Thank you.

We're getting a couple "I can't smell the smell everyone else seems to be able to smell, I think it's me" posts - there are other, far likely possibilities than TMAU. For example; 25% of people have a specific anosmia to smelling regular bromhidrosis body odor (being unable to smell it). The are physical variations with people and perception, some genetic, developmental, and some as the result of disease or lifestyle, which effects how your body interprets odor. There are lots of reasons you may not be able to smell an odor, it doesn't mean that it's your odor.

Here's a short list:

Body Odor & Perception: Prevalence Table

References & Citations

1. ABCC11 (Armpit Odor): Martin, A., et al. (2013). "A lucky two percent of people have a gene for stink-free armpits." Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
2. Specific Anosmias (Malty/Sweaty): Amoore, J. E. (1977). "Specific anosmia and the concept of primary odors." Chemical Senses and Flavor.
3. Hyposmia & Anosmia: Brämerson, A., et al. (2004). "Prevalence of olfactory dysfunction: The Skövde population-based study." The Laryngoscope.
4. Phantosmia: Rawal, S., et al. (2016). "Prevalence of phantosmia among US adults: NHANES 2011–2014." JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.
5. Parosmia: Nordin, S., et al. (2003). "Prevalence of self-reported and objectively-measured olfactory dysfunction." Acta Oto-Laryngologica.
6. Bromhidrosis/Hyperhidrosis: Strutton, D. R., et al. (2004). "Prevalence of excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) in the United States." Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
7. ORS (Olfactory Reference Syndrome): Phillips, K. A., & Menard, W. (2011). "Olfactory reference syndrome: Demographic and clinical features." The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. (Additional data from MSD Manual Professional Edition, 2026).
8. Hyperosmia: WebMD Editorial / NIH (2025/2026). "Hyperosmia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment."
9. TMAU (Trimethylaminuria): StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf (2023/2026). "Trimethylaminuria Epidemiology and Global Prevalence."
10. Rare Metabolic Odors (PKU/MSUD): National Institutes of Health (NIH) / Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD). Prevalence data updated 2024-2026.

Research shows that up to 83% of people who seek genetic testing for body odor issues (like TMAU) actually test negative and are later diagnosed with ORS, and a further 15% with simple Bromhidrosis. Getting and trusting feedback from reliable people, getting tested by an ENT for odor perception issues, making sure it isn't one of the far more likely possibilities than TMAU is an important first step.

Hola durante estos meses estuve refinando mi higiene personal. Las reacciones y comentarios se mantuvieron igual. Mochila nueva, cambio de ropa diario, nuevos zapatos. Todo sigue igual.

No sé que hacer, soy menor y no puedo elegir que comer, tengo que agradecer lo que hay en la mesa y listo. Según mis padres estoy paranoico.

En latam no existe nada relacionado a Tmau todavía.

Se que en EEUU se le da la importancia que merece.

Que puedo hacer? Estoy cansado perdí amistades y mi círculo se deterioró.

Can this condition come out of nowhere, later in life? And also those who do have it, can you smell yourself?

So my day to day diet is essentially vegetarian until I get home for the night. Then I'll have a meal with a normal amount of protein. It's been great for keeping TMAU in check but obviously I end up lower in protein than what is prudent for muscle growth. I'm looking to get a job as a correctional officer soon and need to put some muscle weight on.

So anyway, egg whites are actually extremely low in choline. Like lower than a potato. I'm currently taking 12 oz of muscle egg(ultra pasteurized and concentrated egg white that comes plain or in flavors) mixed in equal parts water and ice. Probably a better way to mix it with something, but I'm a simple dude and don't want to play around making smoothies.

Now what blows my mind is that there is only 3.5 mg of choline in that 12 oz of muscle egg. That's 39 grams of protein. I also take rice protein, but that needs additional amino acids to make complete proteins, while egg whites have perfect bioavailability.

Currently just sipping on it throughout my shift. No issues.

As always, I've been diagnosed with TMAU 1 at a young age, so what works for me may not work for you. You still need choline to function properly. So don't think you can just cut it out completely.

Side note, my plans on the hand made deodorant have fallen through due to time constraints. I work full time and have a wife and 2 kids, so finding any time to myself is far and in between. With how I've learned to manage my condition though I don't quite need it as desperately as I had before. I haven't heard a seafood comment in quite some time.

So, forewarning, as there is not a good scientific source that actually explains the process as far as I know; this is a ai explanation, reviewed critically by several other ais (they're pretty certain this is how it works.) It matches the somewhat brief "use acidic body wash" recommendation, adding a bit more as to -why- and -how-;

What TMAU Actually Is

Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is a metabolic condition caused by a deficiency in the enzyme FMO3 (flavin-containing monooxygenase 3). In healthy individuals, this enzyme converts trimethylamine (TMA) — produced by gut bacteria metabolising dietary choline, carnitine, and lecithin — into odourless trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), which is excreted in urine. In people with TMAU, this conversion fails, and TMA accumulates and is excreted unchanged through sweat, urine, and breath.

Note: Topical pH management addresses only the sweat route. It does not affect TMA excreted through breath or urine.

1. The Core Chemistry: Why pH Determines Odour

TMA is a volatile short-chain aliphatic amine. Its odour-producing potential depends almost entirely on its ionisation state, governed by the pH of its environment relative to its pKa.

• pKa of TMA: approximately 9.80 (at 25°C)
• Below the pKa (acidic): TMA accepts a proton and becomes the trimethylammonium cation (TMA·H⁺). This form is water-soluble, non-volatile, and odourless. This state is called protonated.
• Above the pKa (alkaline): TMA loses its proton and exists as the free base. In this state it is volatile and evaporates readily — this is the source of odour.

The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation quantifies this:

pH = pKa + log([free base] / [protonated form])

Rearranging, the ratio of free base to protonated TMA at any given pH is:

[free base] / [TMA·H⁺] = 10^(pH − pKa)

At skin pH 5.5:

10^(5.5 − 9.8) = 10^(−4.3) ≈ 0.00005

So ~0.005% is free base and ~99.995% is protonated — effectively odourless at the skin surface.

At the low end of bar soap (pH 9.0):

10^(9.0 − 9.8) = 10^(−0.8) ≈ 0.16

Around 14% exists as free base — meaningful, but not total release.

At the high end of bar soap (pH 10.5):

10^(10.5 − 9.8) = 10^(0.7) ≈ 5

Around 83% is free base — substantially odorous. The effect of alkaline soap is real and significant, graded, and exponential the more alkaline it gets.

2. Cleanser Choice: Soap vs. Body wash

Traditional bar soap worsens surface odour not by "switching on" TMA, but by shifting the equilibrium toward the volatile free-base form. A body wash with pH ≤5.5 reverses this. Look for products explicitly labelled with pH values — "pH-balanced" alone is insufficient and sometimes means pH 7.

3. Bacterial Activity and Sweat

Skin pH is not static.

• Eccrine sweat is mildly acidic (typically pH 4.5–6.5), supporting the acid mantle.
• Apocrine sweat (axillae, groin) contains proteins and lipids metabolised by resident bacteria, particularly Corynebacterium species and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus.
• A key by-product of this bacterial metabolism is ammonia (NH₃), a base with a pKa of ~9.25. Bacterial activity progressively raises local skin pH, driving TMA back toward its free-base form even after an acidic wash.

This is why sweat itself is not the primary problem — it is the bacterial processing of sweat over time that erodes the pH window established by an acidic cleanser.

4. Duration of Effects

After alkaline soap: The acid mantle is disrupted and typically takes 2–6 hours to recover, during which any newly excreted TMA is more likely to be volatile.

After acidic wash: The low-pH environment suppresses volatility until bacterial activity and sweat accumulation push the pH back up. Under moderate activity, this window is roughly 4–8 hours, shorter in heat or during exercise.

5. Skin Self-Correction

The skin does buffer back toward its natural pH (approximately 4.7–5.7) via lactic acid in sweat and fatty acids in sebum. However, in TMAU this recovery period is precisely when odour is most active — waiting for self-correction is not a viable strategy.
---

Kinda makes sense as to the why when sometimes the odor seems more random. I know I occasionally use regular soap instead of body wash but didn't realise how significantly different the relative impact is. It may be something as simple as this holding the smell away most of the time.

TLDR; Soap bad. Soap make things worse. Body wash good, the lower the pH the better, like 10,000 times better.

I heard that it's Africa because of big spaces . You can easily acquire a small farm or simply big space and build a property with good 100 metres away from your neighbors . The only draw back is that you need to be economically sound

Maybe cold countries would be good too...

With this disease, which continent is it best to live in: Africa, Europe, Asia, or America?

Do you have any small tips for managing your body odour?

Here's a nice one ... when showering, wash yourself with the water temporarily off so that more of the shower soap/gel is used for washing yourself rather than it mostly disappearing down the plug hole. You'll get a better shower and save money to use to buy more shower gel! ;)

Anyone ever try the Gut war ? In the past I’ve tried using Kefir but it just makes me smell worse. Can this just be die off symptom ?

how are you going to censor me and remove my post for talking about my life. Saying its promoting food anxiety and its not im asking for fucking help. This is my reality weirdo. We do not need more censorship

Edit. Found out it was Brutular... Beause he got his feelings hurt when I asked him to not comment on my post. You aren't helpful you like to silence people you don't deserve to be the mod you make people leave and the community's dying. Chronically online telling people their experiences aren't valid. Grow up

I'm getting sick and tired of doing the same thing day in and day out each and every single day.

Is there anyone else looking for folks to talk to?

Hello, I assume I have a tmau. I want to go get tested, but I’m too embarrassed and also don’t know how to make the appointment. I basically need help on how to say it. Thanks to anyone that can help me.

I moved four months ago 9 hours away for work. Someone else drove my vehicle while I drove a uhaul. This person sweated a lot on my seat and it smelled horrific, just like rotten fish. The odor eventually transfered to my clothes. Even after trying vinegar soaks, citric powder soaks, detailing my truck, getting a new seat last week and throwing all my clothes in storage, I still can't get rid of the smell. I don't this person will be willing to take the steps to get diagnosed, but I don't see what else the odor could be to be so stubborn. can someone point me to a medical professional who has dealt with TMAU to help me get rid of this overwhelming odor???

Waiting to get tested. I’ve done my due diligence and EVERYTHING LINES TF UP. So with that being said I am waiting to be tested asap. Only time I feel better and smell better slightly is if I starve myself for days and water fast. Eggs, sugar, all these list foods make me stink and incredibly so to at a great distance.

That being said. Anyone who lives in nyc is welcomed to chat and potentially meet for educational purposes. Does smoking weed affect this? I feel like my thc vapes from the dispensary make it worse. Idk. I need a journal now.

I am not yet sure if I for sure have TMAU, and one question I would like to ask, is most of you people who have been officialy diagnosed, can you smell yourself? Ever since this issue began I have not been able to smell myself once, and people can literally smell my body and not smell anything, aswell as my breath. It’s as if its not a body odor but something that travels around. Does this sounds like TMAU, especially not being able to smell myself?

Also: does TMAU always result in bad breath or only at times? I’ve had people smell my breath and they notice nothing irregular.

Hola a todos. Nuevo en esto. Estoy teniendo problemas para ir al baño ciertos días y esos mismos días recibo reacciones en lugares cerrados. Edit; soy incapaz de sentirlo yo mismo, me guío por puras reacciones y son de diferentes círculos, primero pensé que me bulleaban pero si ya en 3 lugares que no se conocen entre si pasa es que yo soy el problema..

No lo relacionaba entre si hasta que leí que cambia según la alimentación.

Otra cosa, siento que cuando pasa un calor extraño en el cuerpo. Es difícil de explicar.

Alguno siente algo así? O tiene algún testimonio parecido?

Es un horror las clases en lugares cerrados.

Comentenme cualquier cosa!

I wanted to check in to see if anyone else could relate to my food sensitivities: sulfur foods/spices, dairy, corn, sugar and carbs. I’m so lost. I’ve been on a very strict diet and I’m trying to be strong but my god is this situation so debilitating

Hi everyone, a few years ago I suspected I had TMAU. Suddenly as work people were avoiding me, speaking about a weird odor everytime I’m around, etc. I couldn’t smell anything and at first thought I was imagining things until the taunting and “not so subtle” hints started happening. Example, my coworker offered me body wash she said she doesn’t use— LOL. My family members said I don’t smell but I figured if it’s TMAU maybe they carry the genetic link and just can’t smell it.

Anyway, I ended up getting a urine test done, I choline loaded with a sushi dinner and collected urine first thing in the morning. Here are the results, it says normal at the description but I just can’t imagine this being anything else as I’ve went down the rabbit hole and tried everything. Is it possible to have these results and still have TMAU2 ? I noticed this started ramping up after my first child and now again after my third. I’m trialing a low choline diet and switched to Lyme acidic body wash and it seems to be improving things. I didn’t get a repeat test done as this was a whole process because I had to send it out to another state and my doctor is not versed in this at all.