"BO" smell means body odor, an unpleasant smell from skin bacteria breaking down sweat, especially from apocrine glands in areas like armpits and groin, creating smelly compounds, with factors like hygiene, diet, hormones, and health influencing its intensity and type. Sweat itself is odorless, but bacteria on the skin metabolize its proteins and fats, producing the odor.
Causes of body odour
hot weather. hormonal changes. being overweight. having a condition like diabetes, kidney disease or liver disease.
Internal health issues may result in unpleasant body odors (BO), as well, such as liver and kidney disease and hyperthyroidism, which can lead to excessive sweat and increased BO. Stagg recommends talking with your doctor if you notice a strong smell from your skin.
Diabetes can cause sweat to smell sweet, fruity, or like nail polish remover due to high ketone levels from uncontrolled blood sugar (diabetic ketoacidosis or DKA), a serious complication requiring immediate medical attention, often accompanied by excessive thirst, urination, weakness, nausea, or confusion. In some cases, uncontrolled diabetes might also lead to sweat smelling like ammonia, especially with kidney issues, or cause increased sweating.
Body odor is caused by a mix of bacteria and sweat on your skin. Your body odor can change due to hormones, the food you eat, infection, medications or underlying conditions like diabetes. Prescription-strength antiperspirants or medications may help.
If you notice a significant difference in your body odor, talk with a medical professional. Infection: Certain infections, such as bacterial or fungal infections of the skin can cause a foul odor. These infections can disrupt the normal balance of bacteria on the skin, leading to a strong, unpleasant smell.
Sweating and body odor of the underarms often can be treated with antiperspirants or deodorants that you can buy without a prescription: Antiperspirants. Antiperspirants contain metal salt, such as aluminum, that blocks sweat pores. This reduces the amount of sweat that reaches the skin.
Warning Signs and Symptoms
Conditions like kidney disease, diabetes or hyperhidrosis can affect how your body processes waste, leading to an intense ammonia smell. It's essential to tune into your body's signals and consult with a healthcare professional if you suspect your sweat's scent is more than just a dietary or exercise-related quirk.
While gradual changes in body odor are typically normal, sudden or intense shifts may indicate an underlying health issue. Conditions like diabetes, thyroid disorders, or infections can sometimes cause a change in odor, so it's important to consult a healthcare professional if you have concerns.
Without enough B12, your metabolism can slow down, leading to more odor-causing byproducts being released through your sweat. Plus, B12 helps maintain healthy skin, which acts as a barrier to bacteria that cause bad smells. You can find B12 in foods like meat, eggs, and dairy, or through supplements.
The hardest smells to get rid of are often deeply embedded, like skunk spray, cigarette smoke, pet urine, mold/mildew, and fire/water damage odors, because they permeate porous materials (carpets, upholstery, drywall, synthetic fabrics) and can get into HVAC systems, requiring professional cleaning or specialized ozone treatments to neutralize the odor molecules themselves, not just mask them.
Kids start to have body odor around the time puberty starts and hormones change. Usually, this happens when females are 8–13 years old, and males are 9–14. But it can also be normal to start puberty earlier or later. Bathing every day, especially after a lot of sweating or in hot weather, can help with body odor.
A person with kidney failure may have breath that smells like ammonia or urine. Serious liver disease can make breath smell musty or like garlic and rotten eggs. Compounds that are transported through the blood can also be released through your sweat glands. That can make your armpits and skin smell bad.
Nonenal® (also known as 2-Nonenal) is a naturally occurring compound responsible for the distinct odor associated with aging. It typically appears after age 40, becoming more noticeable in both men and women.
Different categorizations of primary odors have been proposed, including the following, which identifies 7 primary odors:
If your kidneys aren't working properly, you may notice one or more of the following signs:
While eccrine sweat glands are present in all skin types on the body, apocrine and sebaceous are restricted to certain locations. Body odor is primarily caused by apocrine sweat glands that become activated during puberty.
Damaged glomeruli reduce your kidneys' ability to properly filter waste, meaning that abnormal amounts of protein and sometimes blood to leak into your urine, causing it to be pinkish, reddish, foamy or even brown in color.
The Early Warning Signs
Symptoms of hyperglycaemia
Avoid sugary drinks whenever possible because not only can they raise blood sugar levels, but they can also contribute many calories to the recommended daily calorie intake.
Apocrine glands, located in areas like the armpits and groin, secrete a thicker fluid that, when broken down by bacteria on the skin, can produce a strong odour. One of the most common causes of smelly armpits in the breakdown of this sweat by bacteria.
Some women describe their menopause body odour as smelling like urine, and even cat pee, which could be caused by excess ammonia due to increased amounts of apocrine sweat. Aside from body odour, you may also experience 'phantom smells', such as smoke.
The main culprit behind body odor is the interaction between sweat and bacteria on your skin. Foods like garlic, onions, and cruciferous vegetables contain sulfur compounds that, when broken down, can intensify this interaction.