The Scent-sational Power of Body Odor
How food influences the body scent: the red meat case.
Takeaways
Diet has a crucial impact on body odor
Red meat causes a stink effect on body odor
Women judged the odor of non-meat diet donors as being more pleasant and attractive
🤭 What is the relationship between you and your body odor? Upbeat, “Yay, I like my natural smell,” or, “Yikes, I don’t like it. I mask my smell with a daily dose of perfume.” Do you even know what your natural body scent is? Or, more remarkably, what is your body odor telling you about your physical and mental health? Do you consider your body scent as a unique guide helping you detect a biological partner fit? Some might think this all sounds a little primitive. Perhaps… but we are animals, after all.
👃Let’s embark on a journey of peculiar human fragrances…. This topic makes me think about Patrick Süskind’s novel Perfume. Contrary to his dark narrative, I’ll approach the subject with humor. But before we move on, be sure your sensitive nose is in order!
“The odor of donors when on the ‘nonmeat’ diet was judged as significantly more attractive, more pleasant, and less intense.”1
🤫 I gave up on perfume many years ago—or, more precisely, I use it only on certain “special” occasions (maybe a handful of times a year when blending in is required). Then Covid came around; it was also the perfect moment to give up on deodorant. What did I realize? I like my smell and the cues it gives me about my well-being. Anyone who gets stressed out before an important event knows how our axillary glands can play against us in such scenarios.
🌬️ Beyond the sulfuric stench in your pee after eating asparagus (if you are lucky to be among the 20% to 50% of people experiencing it), have you ever considered how foods influence armpit odor day after day? You'd say diet is not the sole culprit (true; see image below), but it appears to be a cornerstone element.
😯 This topic caught my attention as I once heard from a plant-based pal that his odor dramatically changed after his diet shift. He mentioned, “My smell turned out to be pleasant to me. [Laughs]. Including the odor of my underarms and the odor left after the bathroom visit. [More laughs]. It was like I changed my identity in a way. I felt someone different from that moment on. [Silence].” Wow! His sharing got me thinking about how our scent is linked to our identities on a deeper level. Did he start to attract another ‘set of people’ toward him? [Like myself?]. Would this be another (subconscious) reason why people resist dietary pattern changes? [What if your favorite grandma picks on you relentlessly for your new ‘different eating habits.’ The emotional barrier can be too high to climb]. I’ll leave the questioning in the air as the topic deserves an entire dedicated article. Let’s go back to diet.
Diet matters
🕺 Remember the awkward, strong whiff you once got after eating asparagus with red meat at your cousin's wedding? Fantastic flashback. What damn happened?
🧖♂️ Sweat produced by your armpits glands (and groin region) carry the sulfur compounds or proteins from certain foods like asparagus and red meat. These compounds mix with bacteria on your skin’s surface. In return, the invisible microbes biotransform the odorless natural secretions into volatile odorous products. Scent-sational.
🧄 Known foods interfering with our body odor are spices, onion, garlic, cruciferous veggies, asparagus, alcohol, fish, and red meat.
🥩 According to research, red meat consumption may have a noticeable impact on axillary body odor. The approach of the study in question:
17 male odor donors were on ‘‘meat’’ or ‘‘nonmeat’’ for 2 weeks (body odor was collected during the final 24 h of the diet)
An identical diet was prescribed except for the meat content
30 women not using hormonal contraceptives assessed the fresh odor samples for their pleasantness, attractiveness, masculinity, and intensity
The same procedure was repeated a month later with the same odor donors, each on the opposite diet than before
Although this study has its limitations, to my surprise, the odors of donors on the nonmeat diet were judged as follows:
more pleasant
more attractive
less intense
🔬The authors proposed a correlation between the change in the odor and fat proportion in meat. One of the culprits is the bacteria from the genus Corynebacterium breaking down lipids into stinky volatile fatty acids, changing the composition of some underarm chemicals.2
🔥 This subject deserves a deeper dive, for sure. Somehow, it opened a door for reflection as vegetarians or vegans still eat lots of other potential foods that backfire (literally, if you light up a match,🤭).
💩 The complexity of one’s body composition is perceptible. Only considering dietary patterns, various mechanisms play a role in building one's odor signature, including metabolic byproducts, protein and lipid digestion, gut microbiome composition, and fiber content of ingested foods.
🥵 I was wondering if any food provides you with an extra spicy scent. Don’t shy away; leave a comment.
PS: Have you heard about the woman—a super-smeller—who can detect Parkinson’s disease by whiffing a patient’s odor? She partnered with scientists to assist in the discovery of new methods for diagnosing diseases. It makes one think how powerful a human nose can be…
For fun
The story of finding a mate: A picture says more than a few words!
👀 Until next week, cultivate your best fragrance!
Xoxo,
Fernanda
PS1: Other articles you might find interesting:
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Wild. By influencing my odor, Changing my diet can have an influence on my partner and my relationship? Does that mean it will also influence the way I am perceived at work? How do I know if going plant based will be positive ?