5 foods that make you smell less and more attractive

In the current times when there's competition in everything, every person wants to set themselves apart in one way or another. From unknown brands to unique scents, we try everything to make ourselves distinguishably identifiable. While you might try on the most expensive brands and specific gourmand combinations, did you know that the way you smell is also influenced by your own unique scent profile?

Just like fingerprints, every human has an odour shaped by their genes, hormones, health and hygiene. While some of these factors might not be in our control, health in the form of the food we eat is one thing we can manage. On a biological level, the food you eat affects the body odour in two ways: the gut and the skin. In the gut, some interactions between food chemicals and bacteria release gases that can cause bad breath, a problem that one-third of adults suffer from worldwide. In the skin, certain chemical components from the food perspire through the skin and create a smell after interacting with the bacteria present on it. Thus, the food you eat can play a 'scented' role in how you smell. Below, find out five foods that make you smell less and more attractive.

Certain foods contain compounds that can interact with the body and make the sweat or skin smell bad. Below find five such foods.

Specific vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and cauliflower are packed with sulphurous compounds, which when they enter the bloodstream and interact with skin bacteria, can turn the sweat into a pungent smell, told nutritional therapist Kerry Beeson to BBC.

Foods such as garlic and onion belong to the allium family and when metabolised by the human body, they break down into compounds such as diallyl disulphide and allyl methyl sulphide, emitted by the body for hours after eating.

Packed with trimethylamine, a highly potent-smelling compound, fish can also produce a pungent body odour. They contain animal protein which is broken down by the body into amino acids and fats and excreted through sweat. There's even a condition called trimethylaminuria aka fish odour syndrome where the body is unable to turn trimethylamine into a non-smelling compound, thus causing odour.

When consumed in large amounts regularly, alcohol can lead to odour from the gastrointestinal tract and the sweat glands. While processing alcohol inside the liver, the body releases a toxic and volatile compound called acetaldehyde, which has a stale smell. A 2009 study published in the International Dental Journal, found that people who consumed alcohol daily were most likely to complain about bad breath.

A 2000 study published in Biomedical Chromatography, showed that caffeine molecules can be found in the sweat as well. Present in tea, coffee and other beverages, caffeine stimulates the apocrine glands in the body that produce sweat in areas such as the armpits and groin. An elevated amount of sweat houses more bacteria thus producing stronger body odour.

Consuming some specific foods can improve body odour due to the effect they have during digestion. Below, find five such foods.

Yes, while it might make your breath smell horrible and make your friends finally maintain that one arm distance, garlic can do wonders for your armpits. A 2016 study published in Appetite, had 42 men wear armpit pads and collect their sweat for 12 hours while they had garlic. Then, 82 women rated the scent as 'very sexy'.

Citrus fruits and their peels have compounds that inhibit odour-causing bacteria, as per a 2023 study published in Heliyon. Packed with antioxidants, these fruits detoxify the body and neutralise the odour.

Green tea not only works for your health but also for your smell. The herbal tea according to a 2008 study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, reduces oral malodour due to its polyphenols that contain antimicrobial and deodorant effects.

Probiotic foods such as yogurt help the gut and the body's odour. A 2024 study published in Dairy, consuming yogurt significantly reduced the concentrations of the garlic sulfur volatiles in breath including diallyl disulfide, allyl methyl disulphide and more. Meaning, consuming the dairy product can help you with bad breath.

As a herb, mint has a natural antibacterial property that can help neutralise the bacteria that create body odour in the human body. A 2017 study published in ResearchGate, mint leaves reduce the sulfur volatiles in food, thus reducing bad odour.

The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new medication or treatment.