Symptoms of Diabetes
12. Nausea and Bad Breath
At this point, the patient has developed full diabetes and it is too late to circumvent the condition. Bad breath and nausea are both symptoms of high levels of ketones in the body. Ketones are a secondary source of energy that the system can get by burning fat. This acts as an alternative to glucose and is suitable for scenarios where glucose is not available.
Ketones are not unhealthy in themselves but they are toxic when they build up. Thus the body will try to expel them, leading to feelings of nausea and causing vomiting. You can also sometimes smell ketones on the breath, which have a very distinctive ‘sweet’ odor.