The smell of sweat depends on many factors, such as stress, hormone levels, diseases and medications. Often, your diet also contributes to changing the smell of sweat. Nutrients that are supplied with food, after being metabolized, are excreted from the body, e.g. along with sweat and decide on its smell. Find out how what you eat has on the smell of your sweat.

The smell of sweatis not constant and depends, among other things, on from stress, hormone levels, systemic and skin diseases, drugs and stimulants used, e.g. cigarettes, as well as cosmetics or the material from which the clothes you wear are made. However, very often a poor diet contributes to the change in the smell of sweat.

Diet and the smell of sweat. What not to eat so that the sweat does not stink?

Bacteria that live in the area of ​​the armpits eat mainly proteins and fats, therefore you should limit the consumption of foods that are rich in these substances. It will be the so-called unhe althy food, i.e. high-calorie food, low in vitamins and minerals.

To improvethe smell of sweat(actually the smell of skin that sweats intensively), avoid products that emit sweat in your daily dietsulfur compounds - enzymes that do not decompose and are excreted with sweat intact (that's why they give such an unpleasant smell). This group includes, for example, onion, garlic and broccoli.

Foods containing preservatives and artificial dyes are also not recommended. The flavoring additives they contain turn into substances that can be a source of unpleasant smell during the digestion process. In turn, spicy foods dilate both types of sweat glands, and thus contribute to the secretion of more sweat.

However, skin odor is caused not only by what we eat, but also by HOW we eat. If we eat unhe althy and eat too much food in a short time, our sweat produces an unpleasant odor faster. Unpleasant skin odor may also appear as a result of improper metabolism of some products.

How does sweat affect the smell of the skin?

The smell of sweatgreatly depends on the dailydiet . The sweat secreted by the sweat glands is odorless. Only the processes taking placedetermine the formation of an unpleasant or neutral odor on the surface of the skin.

The smell of sweat is the result of the activity of microorganisms on the skin. They contribute to the breakdown of fats, sugars and proteins and other substances secreted by certain sweat glands, , sometimes giving rise to a very unpleasant odor. Therefore, the smell of sweat depends, among other things, on on what foods we supply to the body, and thus - what metabolic products will be excreted with sweat.

There are two types ofsweat glands: eccrine and apocrine . These glands differ in where they occur, the type of sweat they produce, the way they release it to the surface of the skin, and their function. The secreted sweat, both eccrine and apocrine, is odorless. Some components of sweat and the microorganisms on the skin that feed on them are responsible for the bad smell.

Eccrine sweat glands and the smell of sweat

Eccrine glands are present on the surface of the entire body (except the mouth) in the number from 2 to 5 million. Eccrine glands are mainly responsible for the body's thermoregulation process (they keep the body temperature below 37 degrees Celsius), and thus - they protect the body from overheating.

As the body heats up, neurons in the brain's hypothalamus send a signal to the eccrine glands to increase sweat production. The sweat that evaporates from the surface of the skin removes heat from the body, which regulates the body temperature. In addition, sweat secreted by the eccrine glands is a component of the water-lipid coat and is responsible for maintaining the proper pH level of the skin, thus providing protection against microorganisms and enabling the proper functioning of the epidermal barrier.

Eccrine sweat is a colorless and odorless liquid that is approximately 98 percent water. The remaining 2 percent are saline sodium chloride, urea, ammonia, and minerals such as iron, magnesium, and potassium. It is not a "nutrient" for bacteria, therefore eccrine sweat is not a good substrate for the growth of microorganisms and does not create an unpleasant odor.

How to deal with excess sweat?

Apocrine glands and their influence on the smell of sweat

The apocrine glands (tubular sweat glands) do not develop until puberty. They go to the hair follicles and are mainly found in the axillary area, as well as around the genitals and anus, on the areola of the nipples, in the ear canals (ear wax glands) and on the eyelids (Moll glands).

The apocrine glands are not involved inthermoregulation process, but are responsible for supporting the body's detoxification process, i.e. removing waste products outside the body. Compounds present in apocrine sweat are involved in the processes taking place on the surface of the skin and determine the formation of an unpleasant odor.

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Apocrine sweat is mainly composed of water, lipids (fats), proteins and organic acids, as well as urea and lactic acid. Other chemicals, such as non-degradable phosphates and sulfates, can also be found in sweat depending on what we eat.

In addition, sweat may also include acetic, butyric, valeric, caproic and caprylic acid, as well as ethyl alcohol and acetone. Accordingly, apocrine sweat provides a "medium" for microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi that reside on the surface of the skin. The constituents of sweat are broken down by bacteria, releasing substances with a strong and unpleasant odor, including isovaleric acid and steroidal compounds (mainly androstenol).

Therefore, regular washing is enough to wash away sweat, which is a "breeding ground" for bacteria, and prevent the formation of an unpleasant odor. However, if some foods are causing the odor, the daily diet should be designed to eliminate substances that are "food" for the microorganisms.

Category:

Diets