Foods such as garlic, onions, cumin, and curry can also cause changes in body odor. The sulfur-like compounds that the body releases as it breaks down these foods can react with the sweat on the skin, producing body odor that may be different than a person's natural scent.
When the sweat from your glands meets the bacteria on your skin, it breaks down into products called thioalcohols. The thioalcohols give off a strong, often sulfurous scent that can also be comparable to onions or meat. Genetics plays a role in how many thioalcohols your body produces.
A person living with a health condition such as diabetes or kidney disease may also have sweat that smells like ammonia.
Some people with diabetes compare the smell of insulin to the scent of Band-Aids, printer ink, Lysol, or new plastic shower curtain liners (4). Apparently, phenols are responsible for the aroma associated with insulin (5).
Description. Trimethylaminuria is a disorder in which the body is unable to break down trimethylamine, a chemical compound that has a pungent odor. Trimethylamine has been described as smelling like rotten or decaying fish.
In women, hormone levels change throughout the menstrual cycle, throughout pregnancy, during postpartum, or as a result of using medication with hormonal side effects. All of these changes can contribute to the intensity and pleasantness of body odor and there may be a link between our scent and attraction (5).
It turns out that when this sulfur compound is mixed with bacteria under the arm, it creates a chemical called thiol — and this chemical is known for smelling like onions. Men on the other hand, had increased levels of an odorless fatty acid, which gives off a cheesy smell once it mixes with the armpit bacteria.
Some medical conditions can cause a change in body odor, including: Liver disease. Diabetes. Kidney disease.
Garlic, onions,egg, and cruciferous vegetables — such as broccoli and cauliflower — can cause odour,” Dr Anupam Dey, a Kolkata-based dietician says. So, if you are eating high levels of certain foods, foul-smelling compounds they contain may be excreted through your sweat glands to give an unpleasant odour.
Two classic culprits for sweat induced stink are garlic & onions. Roasted garlic is delicious, but can be awfully strong. As a good source of potassium, folates, vitamins and minerals, you really don't want to lose alliums from your diet.
The menopausal drop in estrogen also leaves our bodies with relatively higher levels of testosterone — produced by our ovaries in small amounts — than before. This can attract more bacteria to sweat, making it smell funkier.
Eating food with a strong smell can affect body odor. Onions, garlic, spices, and vinegar are among the foods that can change the smell of sweat. Sweat can combine with vaginal discharge to make the vagina smell of strong foods, such as onions or garlic.
By the end of the study, researchers concluded that men who removed their armpit hair by waxing it off or shaving it with a razor had the least body odor. Those who simply trimmed their armpit hair had the next smelliest, with the strongest armpit odors coming from those who left their pit hair untamed.
A zinc deficiency may affect the detoxification process, resulting in body odor. Thyroid hormones are essential for zinc absorption, so an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) that produces too few thyroid hormones may result in a zinc deficiency.
During menopause, your hormonal balance shifts. This shift can also lead to stronger body odor. Estrogen and progesterone levels fall relative to your testosterone, while cortisol tends to increase. Higher levels of both testosterone and cortisol have been linked to stronger body odor.
A drop in oestrogen levels in the menopause can leave some women with relatively more male hormone (testosterone). This can cause them to have more bacteria in their sweat, and that sweat may smell more. It's also why acne and skin changes can become an issue in the menopause.
The two B-vitamins that might have some connection to body odor are vitamin B-1 (thiamin) and the B vitamin choline, Jasonides tells Lucy.
The scent of fetor hepaticus is more distinct and smells like sulfur. It happens as a result of liver disease. Learn more about fetor hepaticus and how to manage the condition.
Some metabolic diseases can cause a distinctive body odor, particularly in their later stages. These include diabetes, as well as advanced kidney and liver disease.