If you’ve ever felt as if you alone suffer from terrible body odor, think again. Body odor is something we all suffer from, it is produced through the body’s normal function of sweating. As our sweat comes into contact with the bacteria that lives on our skin, we produce an offensive smelling odor. This can be distressing for as we worry about how offensive the smell is to those around us who are smelling it too. you’re in luck, body odor can be treated a lot easier than we may think. Columbia University has recently enlightened us to the fact that Zinc could play a strong role to how much we smell and sweat.
Although we may not like sweating, it is pretty helpful for our bodies. It assists our body in maintaining a healthy temperature, hydrates our skin and aids us in balancing out bodily fluids through excreting calcium and sodium. This all sounds pretty high tech, but relax – it’s all quite simple really. Our body sweats in high aprocine gland areas like under our arms, on our head (scalp) and our genitalia area where pubic hair is present. Once the fatty sweat reaches our skin surface and mixes with our natural bacteria, an unpleasant odor is produced.
According to The University of Maryland Medical Center, adults are advises to have around 8 to 11 milligrams of Zinc in their diet per day. This can be achieved through diet or the addition of a multivitamin supplement. Foods high in Zinc include but are not limited to; Crab, Oysters, Chicken Legs and Beef Shanks. When it comes to kids, their recommendations vary according to age. Once a child reaches the adolescent stage their dosing is also dependent on their sex. Boys will require a higher dose of daily Zinc than a girl of the same age.
It is important to consult your general practitioner for any supplement additions to a childs diet. We can begin by ensuring our children get a healthy balanced diet to assist in reaching their recommended daily Zinc intake. Our bodies use Zinc to aid and strengthen the immune system, to help our blood clot hen necessary, and to ensure a balance of insulin and thyroid hormones. Most specific to this topic, Zinc aids the detoxification process of the body through handling waste, allowing a sufficient intake of Zinc to help reduce body odor.
We can’t fix body odor through medications or diet alone. We have to make sure we shower daily, use deodorant and even consider adding an anti-bacterial washing agent to your shower. It may also benefit you to limit your intake of Garlic and Onions! With all these handy tips, you could be right on your way to smelling better before you know it!
