And why do some people’s sweat reek far, FAR more than others? Diet, some vitamin deficiency, or what? Just wondering.
I remember my biology teacher saying that sweat is odorless, but when mixed with the bacteria on your skin, it gives off that old familiar stench. So I guess people that stink worse just have more bacteria on their skin for some reason. Shower, anyone?
Pheramones man, pheramones. Just ask any Frenchman (or woman).
:rolleyes:
Dunno, but yea, I guess it’s the bacteria.
Cisco’s got it right. Sweat is odorless. Certain bacteria however eat the sweat you produce and it is their waste product from eating that you smell.
Cleaning is of course the best way to get rid of the bad smell but there is no way to completely rid yourself of the bacteria and sooner or later you will stink again.
As to sweat being odorless eating certain foods can cause it to stink in its own right. Garlic is perhaps the best known. Eat enough of the stuff and you may have a garlicy smell even shortly after showering.
And remember, the pits and the pubes don’t put out ordinary sweat, which is mainly water and electrolytes, like the rest of the body. They put out fatty oils in the sweat, and when bacteria chomp those oils up, it makes for the side-production of some very aromatic compounds!
I don’t know, aside from the bacteria stuff, but it sure is influenced by your diet.
I’ve known Italians, who consume a large portion of garlic and spices daily, and they reek like garlic, kind of sour garlic, vegetarians who don’t seem to smell at all, people who pop lots of B-vitamin to stink, and boozers coming off of a drunk stink like heck and smell often of whatever they drank the night before. Kids seem almost always to either not stink at all, or smell a little pleasant. I can’t describe that smell, but it changes when they hit puberty and to the worse, so hormonal changes must make a difference.
People from other countries have said Americans smell of meat and milk. When I used to spend most of my time in the forests, camping and hiking, I could tell when a human had passed by as long as roughly 24 hours ago, especially if they lingered in one spot for a bit of time. The smell was universally musky, unlike anything in the woods and more pronounced than perfume or body soaps and it hovers around an area.
I can’t even describe it, but it is certainly distinct from any of the normal forest smells.
OK, thanks. I guess my last roommate was a bacteria breeding ground, 'cause he showered regularly but smelled like hell every time he worked up the slightest sweat.
It’s the same reason that cheese smells cheesy, but milk doesn’t; the bacteria - I’ve got a feeling that the bacteria involved (or some types of them at least) are the same in cheese/on the skin, but I could be wrong about that.
I had a classmate in grade school who had a condition that made his sweat stink like rotting fish. I forget what this was called, but we were told its name. He also appeared to sweat constantly, and he was always greasy-looking and covered in acne. Needless to say, he was a pariah, and kids that age could be cruel. I tried to be kind to him, but I couldn’t stand to be near him for long.
The odor was indeed stomach turning. Poor guy. High school must have been sheer hell.