What secrets does body odor hide?

Body odor is an individual characteristic of the physical and emotional state of each person. If the ancient healers used the assessment of this criterion to diagnose various diseases and monitor the patient's condition, then for modern specialists it is not very informative. But at the same time, body odor can still "tell" about what processes occur in the body, and what exactly needs to be paid attention to in the first place. MedAboutMe figured out what can change body odor and how serious the manifestations of certain new "fragrances" can be.

By their structure, the sweat glands are unbranched tubes with a spiral secretory section. They belong to the endocrine glands of external secretion. There are two types of sweat glands.

As you know, their main function is the production of sweat, which provides natural thermoregulation of the body. Most of the body contains eccrine sweat glands.
The main glands, which intensively produce sweat under the influence of stressful situations and other factors, are located in the armpits and groin. They are called apocrine.

By its nature, the secretion of the sweat glands in humans is odorless. But it is worth noting that the composition and other characteristics of the secret secreted by the apocrine and eccrine sweat glands is different. Thus, the apocrine glands secrete more viscous sweat with a characteristic odor. But the smell of secretion arises from the destruction of secretory cells. During the production of sweat by the eccrine glands, such processes do not occur, therefore, in a normal state, the odor in the secreted liquid is absent. The sweat of the eccrine glands is 99% water and only 1% organic.

Experts say that the smell of a person's body also depends. For example, eating certain foods can cause changes in body odor. For example:

Spicy food increases the concentration of sulfur in the body, which is released through breathing and sweat. This includes not only dishes prepared using hot spices (curry, peppers, etc.), but also fresh vegetables such as onions or garlic.
Dairy products with a high protein content are "heavy" to digest, during which hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan are released. Such compounds have a strong, pronounced odor that can come from a person who has eaten a large amount of dairy products.
Alcohol, dark chocolate, coffee, tea, soda, and soda can all alter body odor. Such foods are difficult to digest and require a lot of energy, accompanied by increased sweating.

Body odor in people who prefer meat products in their diet deserves special attention. A lot of research has been done to determine if a meat-based diet can actually change a person's body odor. So, one of the studies was carried out by Czech scientists in 2006. For the study, 17 male volunteers were invited, who were divided into two groups. The first group ate the same amount of meat every day for two weeks, the second completely refused to use this product. After this period of time, sweat samples from the armpits were taken from all men. Thirty women were asked to evaluate the smells obtained. A month later, the groups of men changed places, and the second group ate meat for two weeks, and the first now adhered to the basic tenets of vegetarianism in their diet. Based on the results of all stages of the study, scientists have come to the conclusion that the smell of sweat from men who do not eat meat products is more attractive to women. In addition, the secretion of sweat glands in vegetarians is less intense in smell.

It is worth noting that certain foods are not the only cause of unpleasant sweat odor. Smoking also changes body odor, and not for the better.

According to the results of studies carried out by Swedish scientists, a person can identify the body odor of a sick person even just a few hours after the contact of his immune system with the toxin. For this, a study was conducted in which eight healthy people took part. One part of the volunteers was injected with lipopolysaccharide, and the second group was injected with saline. Further, all study participants were in T-shirts that fit snugly to the body and absorb sweat secreted for four hours. At the same time, the participants who were injected with saline excreted the usual "healthy" sweat. And those who were injected with liposaccharide, sweat, like a sick person. This was due to the fact that the substance introduced into provoked an immune response to the toxin, accompanied by an increase in body temperature and an increase in cytokines in the blood.

The smell of T-shirts taken off private owners was asked to evaluate 40 volunteers. Most of them unambiguously identified the sweat odor of participants who were injected with endotoxin as unpleasant and "unhealthy."

Thus, it can be argued that the sweat of a sick person is quite easy to determine. Moreover, today there is information that allows us to assume that a person has a disease by the nature of the secretion of his sweat glands. For example:

a person with tuberculosis of the lymph nodes may exude an unpleasant smell of stale beer;
people diagnosed with diabetes mellitus may smell of acetone or rotten fruit;
a pronounced, uninterrupted smell of acetone can also be characteristic of people with cancer;
the characteristic smell of "cat urine" can be observed in case of renal failure or infections of the genitourinary system, etc.

It is worth noting that today there are even specially trained dogs that can identify certain diseases by the smell of sweat or urine of the patient. For example, dogs are trained to identify malignant tumors. So, according to the results of the studies, the dog was able to determine the presence of prostate cancer in a patient, correctly assessing 30 urine samples out of the proposed 33.

The compound 2-nonenal plays an important role in the formation of unpleasant body odor. With age, the level of such a substance in the body increases. Japanese scientists managed to find out that it is possible to detect an increased content of 2-nonenal in the body of people aged 40 and older.
Body odor can convey positive emotions from one person to another. This is the conclusion reached by researchers at the University of Utrecht. To obtain this information, a study was conducted in which samples of sweat from the armpits were taken from a group of participants using soft pads. Thereafter, the pads were placed in separate containers. Participants from another group, also participating in the study, were asked to take turns sniffing each container. At the same time, the activity of the facial muscles of all participants was measured using an electromyograph. Thus, it was possible to find out that when inhaling the vapors of the sweat of cheerful people, the participants' facial expressions were more happy. This phenomenon is called chemosignaling.
The sweat of men who have recently eaten garlic seems more attractive to women. Such data were obtained as a result of a study conducted by a group of scientists from Charles University and the University of Stirling. 42 male volunteers took part in the event. One part of the men ate raw garlic, the second - powdered garlic in capsules. Thereafter, underarm sweat samples were taken from participants in both groups. Also included in the study was a control group that hadn't consumed garlic at all recently.
The smell of a newborn baby causes specific changes in the woman's brain. In the process of such changes, the so-called maternal instinct is triggered in women. Japanese scientists conducted a study in which 38 women took part. Half of the participants already had children of their own. During the study, all women were blindfolded and offered to sniff clothes recently removed from children who were only 4 days old. At the same time, each of the participants using special devices monitored the activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for thinking and caring. So, women who were already mothers, in 82% of cases, identified the clothes in which newborns were recently. They also showed noticeable changes in the prefrontal cortex. Women without children, 68% coped with the definition of the right clothes, but there were no corresponding changes in the work of their brain.
Often, in order to "mask" the smell of sweat or its release in general, people use various cosmetics. Thus, antiperspirants, which contain aluminum, can temporarily block sweat glands, and various deodorants eliminate the smell of sweat, but not rid the body of moisture release. Products containing alcohol increase the acidity level of the skin. But they all have a short-term effect and can be harmful to the body. That is why it is best to regularly maintain personal hygiene and choose clothes made from natural materials that allow the body to "breathe".