14 DAY TRIAL // Singer Cassie Graves of South London, UK, has been living with a very rare medical condition for years. This condition is officially known as Trimethylaminuria, but many prefer to call it the fish odor syndrome.
This is because, as a result of metabolic imbalances, folks diagnosed with this peculiar disorder more often than not smell like bad fish. They release this smell regardless of how many baths they take or how much perfume they put on.
“You know when you go to the food market and there's rotting fish? That's what I smell like. The whiff comes out from my skin and hair. I sweat it out and it doesn't matter how many showers I take, I just can't get rid of it,” Cassie Graves says.
“There were times when I smelt so badly of fish that my mum wouldn't let me go to school because she didn't want me to be bullied by the other kids. And it's hardly ideal to have to go on stage and give a performance when you stink of fish!” the 22-year-old adds.
Interestingly enough, Huffington Post tells us that the woman is unable to feel her own unpleasant body odor. Hence the fact that she depends on her friends and family to tell her if something is off and if it might be a good idea for her to keep away from crowds.
Specialists familiar with Trimethylaminuria explain that Cassie Graves's body lets out the horrific bad fish smell due to a metabolic condition which makes it impossible for the woman's organism to break down a compound known as trimethylamine.
This compound is present in foods such as eggs, red meat, and fish. Because the 22-year-old woman's body is unable to break it down, the trimethylamine Cassie Grave gets from various dishes accumulates in her system, and is eventually released through urine, sweat and breath.
Because this so-called fish odor syndrome is caused by a build-up of trimethylamine, it is recommended that folks diagnosed with this medical condition stay clear of foods known to contain significant amounts of this organic compound.
Cassie says that, although she is very careful about her diet, it sometimes happens that she slips up. Thus, it once happened that, while enjoying a quiet Valentine’s Day meal with her boyfriend, 21-year-old Dom Oliver, she had some seafood and smelled like rotting fish for the rest of the evening.
“For Valentine’s Day, Dom treated me to a lovely meal at a posh restaurant. I was swept away by the whole occasion and stupidly, I thought I’d treat myself and try some seafood. Later during that evening, I absolutely stank of fish – not romantic at all!”
Despite the fact that she was diagnosed with Trimethylaminuria when she was just 3 years old, Cassie Graves leads a fairly normal life. In fact, she is just now working on her first solo album, “Unpunished.”