 Show While you're resting, your armpit bacteria are hard at work pumping out stinky thioalcohols. iStockphoto hide caption toggle caption iStockphoto
While you're resting, your armpit bacteria are hard at work pumping out stinky thioalcohols. iStockphoto The human armpit has a lot to offer bacteria. It's moist, it's warm, and it's usually dark. But when the bacteria show up, they can make a stink. That's because when some kinds of bacteria encounter sweat they produce smelly compounds, transforming the armpit from a neutral oasis to the mothership of body odor. And one group of bacteria is to blame for the stink, researchers say. The researchers took bacteria commonly found in the armpit and added an odorless molecule found in human sweat. "These odorless molecules come out from the underarm, they interact with the active microbiota, [and] they're broken down inside the bacteria," explains Dan Bawdon, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of York in England, who led the study. When the bacteria break down the sweat they form products called thioalcohols, which have scents comparable to sulfur, onions or meat. "They're very very pungent," says Bawdon. "We work with them at relatively low concentrations so they don't escape into the whole of the lab but ... yes, they do smell. So we're not that popular." The thioalcohol molecules evaporate from the underarm, which is what makes the armpit smelly. So Bawdon and his advisor Gavin Thomas, a senior lecturer in microbiology at the University of York, measured how much thioalcohol each bacteria species produced. In the end, they could point to Staphylococcus hominis as one of the worst offenders. They announced their findings Monday at the Society for General Microbiology's annual conference in Birmingham, England. The two researchers are hoping that their findings will change the way that we engineer deodorants fight body odor. Most deodorants block sweat glands or kill off underarm bacteria. Blocking the sweat glands sometimes leads to irritated or swollen skin. And given all the new research into the complexity of the human microbiome, the researchers are a little anxious that deodorants may kill good bacteria, too. It's hard to say whether the bacteria in the armpit are helping the human body the way that gut bacteria or skin bacteria do. "But it kind of makes sense to not kill everything," says Thomas. "As we know from antibiotics, if we can design something specific that's probably going to be a more sensible approach." He and Bawdon envision a deodorant that would keep armpit bacteria from producing thioalcohols. They borrowed their bacteria from Unilever, a company in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom that produces personal care products. The company provided a small amount of funding so that it can use the research results to make next-generation deodorants. But before such a deodorant shows up on the shelf, the researchers need to make sure that there aren't other smelly processes taking place in the armpit. There may be other molecules that make the armpit smelly, and the researchers haven't yet finished their quest to describe them all. "It's an extremely exciting time to be a microbiologist," Thomas says. Of those many denizens of the armpit, he says, "We haven't yet really figured out why they're there and exactly what they're all doing." OverviewSweating and body odor are common when you exercise or you're too warm. They're also common when you're feeling nervous, anxious or stressed. Unusual changes in sweating — either too much (hyperhidrosis) or too little (anhidrosis) — can be cause for concern. Changes in body odor also may signal a health problem. Otherwise, lifestyle and home treatments can usually help with normal sweating and body odor. SymptomsSome people naturally sweat more or less than other people. Body odor also can vary from person to person. See a doctor if:
CausesSweating and body odor are caused by sweat glands in your body. The two main types of sweat glands are eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands occur over most of your body and open directly onto the surface of the skin. When your body temperature rises, these glands release fluids that cool your body as they evaporate. Apocrine glands are found in areas where you have hair, such as your armpits and groin. These glands release a milky fluid when you're stressed. This fluid is odorless until it combines with bacteria on your skin. Oct. 27, 2021
RelatedAssociated ProceduresProducts & ServicesDoes sweat smell because of bacteria?Body odor is what you smell when your sweat comes in contact with the bacteria on your skin. Sweat itself doesn't smell, but when the bacteria on your skin mix with your sweat, it causes an odor. Body odor can smell sweet, sour, tangy or like onions.
Can a bacterial infection cause body odor?If your skin develops an infection, either new or due to a preexisting condition, you may experience a sudden smell at the site of the infection. Some types of skin infections or conditions that might cause a smell include: trichomycosis axillaris, a bacterial infection of underarm hair follicles.
What causes strong smelling sweat?Causes of body odour
hormonal changes. being overweight. having a condition like diabetes, kidney disease or liver disease. certain types of medicine, such as antidepressants.
Why does my sweat smell like something rotten?Compounds that are transported through the blood can also be released through your sweat glands. That can make your armpits and skin smell bad. It's normal for stress to cause smelly compounds to be released through your sweat.
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