Body Odor
Body odor refers to the bad or unpleasant smell from the body. It occurs when bacterial present in the skin breaks down and produce acids. It mainly occurs when bacteria breaks down the proteins present in the skin into acids. It mainly occurs when a person reaches puberty. People who eat a lot of spicy food or suffer from diseases such as high blood sugar are more prone to suffer from body odor. Excessive sweating can also cause body odor. It occurs because bacteria start multiplying rapidly in the presence of sweat. Rapidly growing bacteria causes breakdown of proteins into acids that produces unpleasant smell from the body. Each person has a characteristic odor depending upon the age, diet, gender, medications and general health of the body.
What causes body odor?
The most important cause of the body odor is the breakdown of proteins by the bacteria present in the skin. Things that make the body odor worse are:
- Obese people suffer from bad body odor.
- People who eat spicy and fat food that include garlic, spices and alcohol may suffer from body odor.
- There are some medicines that may produce bad body odor such as antidepressants.
- Certain diseases such as diabetes, kidney or liver disease may produce a characteristic smell from the body.
- Hormonal changes that occur during puberty can also produce body odor in young boys and girls.
How to control body odor?
There are some ways by which you can control body odor. A few tips are given here:
- People who suffer from bad body odor should wash their body with warm water. They should take a hot shower daily. It helps to kill bacteria on your skin.
- Try wearing clothes made up of cotton that allows your skin to breath properly. Cotton clothes also help in better evaporation and absorption of sweat.
- Keep a check on your eating habits. Avoid eating spicy foods and drinking alcohol. People who eat a lot of red meat also have a tendency of developing bad body odor.
Body odor diet
- Diet plays an important role in producing bad body odor. Nutrients are required for the proper growth of our body cells and organs. But, there are some foods that can produce bad odor if taken in excess. Foods that mainly can produce bad odor include seafood, egg yolks, red meat, yoghurt, onions, garlic, cabbage and spices. Increased consumption of these foods can produce bad odor. A person should eat more fruits and green leafy vegetables.
- One should eat a well balanced diet including all the nutrients. It can help in reducing body odor. The diet should be rich in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.
- One should drink more water for proper hydration and removal of toxins from the body through kidneys in the form of urine.
- Avoid alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking to prevent bad body odor.