Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is also known as fish odor syndrome or fish malodor syndrome. It is a rare metabolic disorder that interrupts the normal production of the enzyme Flavin containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3). When FMO3 is not working correctly or if there is not enough enzyme, the body loses the ability to properly breakdown trimethylamine (TMA) from compounds found in food into trimethylamine oxide (TMAO). Trimethylamine then builds up and is released in the person’s sweat, urine, and breath, giving off a strong fishy odor. The first clinical case of TMAU was described in 1970 in the medical journal The Lancet, but literary references go back more than a thousand years. Hindu folklore mentions in the epic Mahabharata (compiled around 400 AD) a maiden who “grew to be comely and fair, but a fishy odor ever clung to her.” Some people with trimethylaminuria have a strong odor all the time, but most have a moderate smell that varies in intensity over time. Individuals with this condition do not have any physical symptoms, and typically appear healthy. The condition seems to be more common in women than men. Scientists suspect that female sex hormones, such as progesterone and/or estrogen, aggravate symptoms. There are several reports that the condition worsens around puberty. In women, symptoms can worsen just before and during menstrual periods, after taking oral contraceptives, and around menopause.
Most cases of trimethylaminuria appear to be genetically inherited. But, this odor varies depending on many known factors, including diet, hormonal changes, other odors in the space, and individual sense of smell. What to do?
Ways of reducing the odor include:
While this study sounds very positive, many people in trimethylaminuria support groups who have tried charcoal and copper chlorophyllin have not experienced the same benefit.
But, knowing that activated charcoal is rated “Safe & Effective” by the FDA, and knowing that activated charcoal is used in thousands of applications to remove offensive or dangerous odors, scents, gases, it makes perfect sense to give this simple and natural remedy a try, while being careful to avoid the above products that may contribute to TMAU.
*Yamazaki H, Fujieda M, Togashi M, et al (2004). “Effects of the dietary supplements, activated charcoal and copper chlorophyllin, on urinary excretion of trimethylamine in Japanese trimethylaminuria patients”. Life Sci. 74 (22): 2739–47.PMID 15043988.
To learn how Activated Charcoal is used as a natural remedy in dozens of other health conditions we recommend the award-winning book CharcoalRemedies.com The Complete Handbook of Medicinal Charcoal & Its Applications. Available in English & Spanish.
Born in British Columbia, Canada, John Dinsley has lived, and worked from South America to the North Pole, from Nova Scotia to Nepal. He is trained as a lifestyle counselor, teaches public health programs, home remedies workshops, and has operated a family care home. He and his wife Kimberly are the owners of Charcoal House LLC. They often travel together across the U.S. and internationally to conduct charcoal workshops. He is a carpenter by trade, has managed an organic market garden business, and volunteered in overseas development work. When he is not building, teaching or gardening, he enjoys writing.
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