By Kathleen Couillard – Agence Science-Presse
Since January 1st of last year, Montrealers can be barred from access to certain libraries if their personal hygiene bothers other lbrary patrons. Debates surrounding this move have convinced the Rumor Detector to note that we sometimes don’t know the source or the causes of these jarring body odors.
Is It Sweat’s Fault?
The idea that we haven’t washed up enough can be a factor. But there’s another culprit hiding on the surface of your body: the apocrine glands. They are found in hairy parts of your body such as the armpits, the genital area and your scalp. Their role is to produce sweat, an oily liquid composed of proteins, lipids and steroids.
And yet, sweat doesn’t have an odor when it has just been produced by the endocrine glands. It is when the molecules that make up sweat are broken down by bacteria on your skin that unpleasant odors are produced. This is the result of volatile organic compounds, in the jargon of microbiologists.
Men produce more sweat than do women. But genetics can also influence body odors. For example, the gene ABCC11 is necessary to transport sweat molecules. When this gene is defective, some components don’t reach the skin’s surface and bacteria cannot generate smells.
Many experts are convinced that when you combine genetics, age, gender and diet, every individual has a body odor as unique as their fingerprints.
What Does Soap Do?
Washing with soap and water allows for bacteria to be removed from the skin, which diminishes the production of foul odors. For most people, washing several times per week, especially after activities that produce a lot of sweat, is sufficient, asserts a 2021 popular text from Harvard Medical School.
It’s also very important to wash your clothes after each use. You can wear fabrics that breathe like cotton, silk and wool. Polyester and nylon are also appropriate for exercise clothing, as they facilitate the evaporation of sweat.
Deodorants contain chemical products that kill bacteria on the skin. Antiperspirants, on the other hand, reduce the amount of perspiration produced. Shaving under your armpits permits sweat to evaporate quicker.
A Few Particular Cases
The eccrine glands are found all over your body. They also produce sweat, but aren’t usually involved in the production of bad body odors. Nonetheless, they can cause disagreeable smells if you eat certain foods. For example, digesting garlic and onions produces compounds that contain sulfur. These are released through the skin’s pores.
Bad odors can be a sign of a health problem. Among others, certain metabolic problems (like obesity and malnutrition) cause specific odors. So does malaria.
Verdict
There is no one single cause for body odors. Some people can be genetically unlucky in this regard. However, to this day, soap and deodorants remain the best weapons against odor.
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