What Your Body Odor Reveals About Your Health

Sweating, also known as perspiration, is nothing but the fluids produced by the sweat glands in our skin. These glands are mainly of two types: Eccrine glands and apocrine glands. The eccrine glands are pretty much all over the body and are responsible for regulating the body temperature by means of sweat. While sweating is good for the body, it is the smell of this fluid-rich secretion that contains a lot of vital signs about the person’s underlying health condition.

If you have been having a tough time keeping your friends around you for long, then it is time you watch out for that body odor. The cosmetic market is flooded with products that help you deal with body odor, but don’t let that odor be suppressed to an extent that you totally miss out the trouble lying deep inside your system. Read on to know more about types of body odors to look out for and the health warnings they carry.

1. Does Your Sweat Smell Like Feces?

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According to a recently published report, ‘bromhidrosis’ or body odor occurs when the bacteria on the skin meets proteins that are excreted in the sweat. Bacteria converts these proteins into chemicals that carry the bad smell (1). Sometimes these chemicals that are formed may even end up smelling like human feces. This kind of smell is most likely because of blocked bowels. It is an issue that must be addressed with an urgency as having blocked large or small intestines can be very painful.

2. Do You Smell Bitter?

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If your body odor has a bitter smell, it means that you need to run to the doctor immediately. Bitter odor can also be because of a malfunctioning liver. Since the liver absorbs toxins from your body and throws them out, its malfunctioning is certainly not encouraging. An improperly functioning liver is characterized by digestive disorders and nausea, both these symptoms are good enough to send us to the doctor way before the body odor trouble kicks in.

3. Do You Smell Like A Fish?

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You can afford to drink like a fish (Well, sometimes!) but certainly cannot afford to smell like fish. If you smell like one, it is quite likely that your friends will stop answering your calls or texts to avoid socializing with you. Oh, fish!

According to an article published in FOX NEWS, trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is a medical condition that is found to occur albeit very rarely (1 in 2,00,000). George Preti, an organic chemist working at the Monell Chemical Senses Centre that focusses on the nature and genesis of human odor, says that certain rare diseases such as TMAU can affect one’s body odor. In this condition, the body is unable to metabolize trimethylamine properly. This causes the content of trimethylamine to rise; hence, causing the foul smell. Preti added that in the worst TMAU cases, a person’s body odor will be like that of stale fish or garbage (2).

4. Do You Smell Sweet Like Candy?

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If you smell sweet or emanate a fruity smell, even that isn’t good news. Chances are high that you would need to see an endocrinologist soon. According to doctors, diabetic ketoacidosis can be the underlying condition for the occurrence of a fruity or sweet body odor. It is a complex version of diabetes and, hence, one must get this condition addressed before it leads to any further damage (3).

5. Do You Smell Like A Rotten Egg?

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If your body odor is like that from a rotten egg, then it is very likely that you need to cut down on your meat servings, especially the red meat. Meat is high in amino acids that have a high sulfur content. The rise in sulfur content in one’s body after consumption of meat is the primary cause of this rotten egg smell.

6. Do You Smell Like Alcohol?

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If you smell like a walking, talking bar, then it’s time you cut down on that alcohol. According to experts, as the alcohol gets into your bloodstream, some does manage to come out of the skin pores. Hence, what goes around (excessive drinks), comes around (alcoholic body odor) (4)!

Body odor is not a very pleasant thing to have, but so long as the odor isn’t killing you or people around you, maybe you are just fine. But if you have been suppressing the body odor that has any of the above peculiar traits, it is time to see a doctor and get that treated. Sweating is good, and one must sweat that flab out, but the sweat that is let out must not be an odor that becomes a hindrance to our health, social life, and self-image. So, give those antiperspirants a break if the odor refuses to die down and address the issue that lies skin deep.

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