Body odor changes after FMT? Outcomes

[john silver]

hello.

I've read and heard that fmt does infleunce body odor a lot, and I've some questions on that:

- do you get the same body odor as your donor after a lot of fmts? or is it more of a temporary effect that's gone as soon as you finish the fmts?

- what're the reasons this body odor changes happens?

- what can be done about it if you didn't want your body odor to change in that way? do fermented foods help?

thanks in advance for your support.

 

[SFBayFMT5]

-do you get the same body odor as your donor after a lot of fmts? or is it more of a temporary effect that's gone as soon as you finish the fmts?
I have not smelled the body odor of any donors as I do not know any of them personally. I also haven't noticed major shifts in my BODY odor after FMT; however I have noticed major changes in my STOOL odor. These (at least any new, putrid odors) tend to go away either with time or with trying more donors. The changes that stay are changes toward how my stool smells when I'm healthy.

-what're the reasons this body odor changes happens?
I assume it's odorous compounds from the microbiota that are absorbed into the body and then excreted. The "onion/grapefruit" smell in some sweat is due to a sulfur compound produced by some species of Corynebacterium, for instance, and many bacteria produce indole, which is a highly scented compound.

- what can be done about it if you didn't want your body odor to change in that way? do fermented foods help?

Other than waiting and/or trying other donors, there probably isn't anything. If you are feeling better health-wise but have worse body odor, you will have to choose whether you value the health or avoiding the new odor more. Generally in my experience though, at least with stool odor, having it change for the worse is a sign that a donor really hasn't worked.

 

[Michael Harrop]

Based on my and others' experiences, picking up a bad BO seems to mostly only happen if you use a bad donor. However, if you have bad BO to start with, a good donor can certainly reduce it.