Diabetes - Fruity smell. Kidney disease - Bleach-like smell. Infectious diseases - Varies with location and infection. Overactive thyroid - Sour smell.
While thyroid disorders don't directly cause sour-smelling sweat at night, a change in thyroid hormone production can impact the rate of sweating. In turn, more sweat can result in body odor.
Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is a rare disorder in which the body is not able to metabolize the chemical trimethylamine, and this causes body odor.
The menopausal drop in estrogen also leaves our bodies with relatively higher levels of testosterone — produced by our ovaries in small amounts — than before. This can attract more bacteria to sweat, making it smell funkier.
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.
A person living with a health condition such as diabetes or kidney disease may also have sweat that smells like ammonia. A person can try antiperspirants to reduce the amount they sweat, and deodorants to cover up any odors. A doctor can treat any underlying health conditions to help reduce the ammonia smell in sweat.
Does estrogen have a smell? Estrogen doesn't have a scent, but hormonal changes during menopause can alter body odor. As estrogen drops and testosterone becomes more dominant, sweat may attract more bacteria, leading to stronger smells, particularly during hot flashes.
A zinc deficiency may occur due to underactive thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) that produces few thyroid hormones and affect the detoxification process, resulting in body odour.
Diabetes: Diabetes is one of the most well-known health conditions linked to changes in body odor. People with uncontrolled diabetes can experience a fruity or acetone-like smell (think nail polish remover) on their breath or skin.
Healthcare providers who recognize the smell of fetor hepaticus have described it as musty, pungent, oddly sweet and occasionally fecal (poop-like).
Some people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC), experience changes in body odor as a result of the disease. Although they are common symptoms, these odors can make a person feel anxious, affect self-esteem, and even make them wary of leaving the house.
A strong vaginal odor may be a sign of vaginitis, or it may be a temporary smell related to your hygiene, lifestyle or other changes. Take note of whether you have other symptoms. If the odor is related to an infection, you'll usually notice other changes, like vaginal itching, burning and discharge.
People who have an overactive thyroid often sweat a lot and feel uncomfortable when they are warm. Their skin is often warm and moist to the touch, and they may have thinning hair. If it is caused by Graves' disease, bulging eyes and vision problems can also occur. Possible symptoms of an overactive thyroid.
One 2022 study identified the distinctive odor of study participants in stressful interview conditions as smelling “similar to stir-fried leeks.”
Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism can show up in the hands and nails. Hypothyroidism can cause dermatologic findings such as nail infection, vertical white ridges on the nails, nail splitting, brittle nails, slow nail growth, and nails lifting up.
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.
Magnesium is one of the best nutrients for helping you maintain healthy skin, hair and nails—and it also helps control your body odor! When you're deficient in magnesium, your body's ability to break down sweat into different compounds can get thrown off.
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.
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.
Physical symptoms of estrogen dominance may include irregular menses, breast swelling and tenderness, mood problems, decreased sex drive, weight gain, hair loss, fatigue, insomnia, painful periods, polyps, dense breast tissue, fibroids, and increased endometriosis pain.
Some people sweat a lot in their groin. That's where your thighs and lower belly meet. Testicles can rub against the skin and trigger sweating. That can lead to body odor.
Vaginal odour and sex
During exercise and sexual activity, it is normal for the genitals to get sweaty and this may contribute to a stronger vaginal odour. However, if you notice a stronger fishy smelling odour after sex, it could be an infection called bacterial vaginosis (BV).
Bacterial vaginosis is one of the most common causes of a smelly vagina, affecting 15% to 50% of women of reproductive age. 'It's a condition where there's an imbalance in the vaginal flora,' Dr Rosén explains. 'The first symptom is often a fishy smell, which can progress to a frothy, grey or green-ish discharge.