Why We Have Body Odors

Our body odor is largely determined by our diet. If you cut out ultra-processed foods, junk food, fast food, and sugars, it will change your body chemistry. When you eat healthier, your gut health definitely improves and your body will produce less toxins and stuff that coming out from your skin and sweat.

Koreans—and generally East Asians—have less body odor due to the ABCC11 gene. People with ABCC11 gene don’t secrete sweats through apocrine glands, a sweat glands mainly in the armpits, groin, and areolae. It releases protein-rich sweat, triggered by emotional stress or hormones, leading to body odor when broken down by bacteria.

Foods that affect body odors:

• Spices (curry, cumin, etc)
• Garlic Onion
• Alcohol
• Fish
• Jengkol, can cause body odor, bad breath, strong-smelling urine due to the concentration of amino acid rich in sulfur, similar to garlic in onions.

Foods that can neutralize odor:

• Leafy green vegetables like spinach. It contains chlorophyll that can neutralize odor. It can flush toxins and kills bacteria.
• Water, essential for flushing toxins
• Herbs, mint and parsley
• Citrus fruits like lemon, limes, and oranges can help kills toxins.