Body odor is frequently something that is joked about, and attributed to poor hygiene or the need to take a bath. Often, however, this isn’t the case at all.
It may be a sign of stress, poor eating habits or even illness. In those situations, no matter how many baths or showers you take, the body odor problem will still be there.
Stress
If you’re under a lot of stress, you’re probably quite familiar with that panicky feeling that you can get when you’re about to be dealt another big blow, like a job layoff or a large bill from the IRS arriving in the mail. Your heart starts pounding, your hands are damp, and it can even be hard to think clearly.
These feelings of anxiety trigger a release of cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone,” which gets your body ready to deal with a potentially harmful situation. This hormone also makes you sweat, and while sweat isn’t necessarily smelly in itself, when added to the bacteria that lives on your skin, it can result in a nasty body odor. This can happen in just seconds – suddenly you’re drenched, and in the middle of a stressful situation, which makes things even worse.
The best thing you can do to prevent this from happening is to try and reduce the anxiety, and your stress level. While it may be easier said than done, taking some deep breaths or boosting your confidence by using positive mantras can help during stressful times. Practicing stress reduction techniques on a regular basis, such as meditation, can help keep you in a calmer frame of mind and reduce stress-related body odor.
Illness
There are a number of illnesses and health conditions that can cause body odor. If one’s breath smells fruity, this is a hallmark of a severe blood sugar problem like diabetes. The fruity aroma isn’t really pleasant either, and it’s dangerous.
When blood sugar levels are really off, this can cause severe injury – or even death. The smell radiates from the mouth as well as the pores, and is known as ketoacidosis. It occurs because the body starts burning fat for energy as the cells aren’t getting enough glucose.
If your liver isn’t functioning properly, toxins and wastes begin to build up and produce a smell that is excreted through the glands of the skin. An overactive thyroid or hormonal imbalance can also cause body odor.
Foods
You probably already realize that certain foods can cause unpleasant body odor, such as garlic or onions, curry and other strong spices. When you sweat, the smell oozes from your skin’s pores. But there are other foods that can cause this as well, such as fried foods and packaged baked goods. As the oils in them tend to become rancid rather quickly, it can cause poor digestion and ultimately, body odor.
Even eating too many sweets can cause body odor. Refined sugar is said to promote yeast overgrowth. This results in converting sugars to alcohols that can cause an awful stink. Additionally, the by-product of an abundance of yeast is gas – as you know that can produce a whole other range of odor problems.
No one wants to smell – by getting to the root of the problem, most of the time body odor can be eliminated fairly easily.
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.youbeauty.com/mind/stress-sweat
https://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/smell-10-sneaky-sources-body-odor-142800980.html
http://voices.yahoo.com/causes-body-odor-due-medical-conditions-5746936.html?cat=5
