I have type 2 diabetes and recently stopped taking my medication until I see my doctor (I am trying to get pregnant). I had also had only a few hours of sleep, and had a very stressful day. When I arrived at work, I was accused of having alcohol on my breath, but had not been drinking. Could this be caused by my type 2 diabetes?

Ketones on the breath cause a fruity odor on the breath. People with diabetes (most commonly, type�1 diabetes) do have this smell when they are getting ill with their diabetes. That is called diabetic ketoacidosis, and is also accompanied by nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, confusion, very rapid and deep breathing with rapid deterioration to coma if left untreated. In addition, you may develop the same ketone smell on your breath when you are dehydrated or haven’t been eating well (it’s called starvation ketosis).

Also note that is would be much more likely to be starvation ketosis rather than diabetic ketoacidosis in a person with type�2 diabetes. This can be confused with alcohol on the breath.

MSB