When we produce sweat it comes from two different types of glands; the eccrine glands and the apocrine gland. The first glands are what covers most of our body, allowing for production of sweat that doesn’t smell. The apocrine glands are situated in the more enclosed areas such as our armpits, genital areas and head. Once the sweat from these glands hit our skin it reacts with a bacteria that creates an offensive body odor.
The real question is – can we do anything to help reduce the offensiveness of this odor? The short answer – yes. According to the Health Services at Columbia we can alter our diets to aide in improving the odor that is produced.
Foods with a distinct smell or overpowering smell can not only make our breath smell a little worse, they can also impact on the smell of our body odor too. Some of these foods are, but aren’t limited to; garlic, onions, curries and chillies. A diet high in these foods may be contributing to your body odor issues, as stated by U.S. National Institutes of Health.
It has also been noted that Meat could play a role in worsening body odor. Meat has been found to cause unpleasant body odor production post eating. This was found in an article posted in “Chemical Senses” in August 2006. It is said that we take a longer time to digest meat, thus allowing it plenty of time to linger in the digestive tract which may well lead to an increase in smell body odor.
It probably won’t shock you to learn that a diet high in Alcohol and Caffeine can also contribute to offensive body odor. If you think this relates to you then maybe try reducing your intake and seeing if it improves your body odor. When we mention caffeine – we aren’t just talking about Coffee. Remember that caffeine can be found in multiple foods and drinks such as Coke, Tea, Chocolate and even some coffee or chocolate flavored candies.
Combining all of these diet modifications may very well lead to an improved smelling you ! Just be sure to not make any drastic changes if you suffer from multiple health issues. Ensure you consult your doctor if you have any concerns.
