Each year, people in the Western world spend billions of dollars on cosmetics and beauty products, including deodorants and anti-perspirants, according to the Worsley School. Most people do not realize, though, that deodorants do not prevent body odor, but they simply mask it with strong perfumes. Likewise, anti-perspirants merely trap odor under a "second skin." You can deal with the causes of armpit odor with limited effectiveness.
Underarm Hair and Skin Cells
Human sweat comes from two different types of glands, the eccrine and apocrine glands. Sweat excreted by the eccrine glands remains odorless, and simply cools the body's surface temperature, according to the Worsley School. Excretions from the apocrine glands, on the other hand, are the sources of body odor. This sweat is broken down by underarm hair and skin cells, both of which retain sweat, keeping it from evaporating before it can cause body odor.
Shaving your underarms can reduce the retention of sweat from the apocrene glands, reducing armpit odor.
Bacteria
Sweat absorbed and retained by underarm hair and skin cells is eaten by bacteria living on the skin and hair, according to the Worsley School. As the sweat is consumed by these bacteria, it produces a compound called 3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid. The release of this compound produces armpit odor.
Diet
The foods you eat determine your level of body odor, says Mike Adams, author for Natural News. The human body removes toxins through urine, fecal matter, mucous and sweat. Toxic foods, such as processed foods and red meat, cause bad-smelling sweat excretions, according to Adams. Switching to a plant-based diet comprised of raw nuts and seeds, organic fruits and vegetables, and whole grains can help reduce armpit odor.
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