This is perfectly natural, even if it “stinks.” 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.
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.
You're sweating more than usual.
"When we sweat, natural bacteria on our skin breaks down the perspiration into thioalcohols, [so] the body odor we notice is thanks to bacteria interacting with our sweat," explains Shein.
A person living with a health condition such as diabetes or kidney disease may also have sweat that smells like ammonia.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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 strong smell of onions is unlikely to be natural but could occur due to sweat, poor hygiene, specific foods in the diet, or infection. We look at the possible causes in more detail and explain how to treat this symptom.
Serious liver disease can make breath smell musty or like garlic and rotten eggs. Compounds that are transported through the blood can also be released through your sweat glands. That can make your armpits and skin smell bad.
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.
Diabetes and acetone-like breath
If the body cannot get its energy from glucose, it starts burning fat for fuel instead. The process of breaking down fat for energy releases byproducts called ketones. Acetone is a type of ketone, and it is the same fruity-smelling substance found in some nail polish removers.
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).
Bacteria love sweets, so eating too much sugar can cause an overgrowth of yeast on your skin, which in turn converts those sugars into alcohols that cause you to smell anything but sweet, according to Edward Group, a certified clinical nutritionist.
Busting the myth: 'hairy armpits smell worse'
The biggest misconception around hairy armpits is that they're unhygienic and smell much worse. Let's unpack this. Studies have found the difference in the smell of regularly shaven pits compared to hairy ones is minimal at best.
If you sense a little body odor, it's because your pubic hair is doing its job of trapping sweat, oil, and bacteria. To care for your pubic area, all you need to do is regularly rinse with water. Long story short, there is nothing dirty or unclean about pubic hair.
The best way to prevent smelly armpits is to wash daily and after sweating. Using antiperspirant or deodorant and shaving the armpits can also help. Avoiding alcohol and certain foods, such as onions and garlic, will also help prevent smelly armpits in some cases.