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Modern man is accustomed to using perfumes, deodorants, aromatic lotions and other products that change the smell of his body. Sometimes people do not even think about how they smell without these products. At the same time, you need to carefully monitor your own aroma, since its change can be the first signal of an illness or other serious health disorder. We will talk about 7 body odors that may indicate a developing pathology.
The smell of acetone
If the body receives less carbohydrates along with food, then it begins to burn its own fat reserves. For obese people, this is good, but body odor can be unpleasant.
When fats are burned, ketones are released, namely acetone. It is he who leads to the appearance of a characteristic smell, which can resemble the aroma of rotten apples or nail polish remover.
When a person eats normally, fats will also be broken down to sugars and acetone, but the last component will not be too much. The body can excrete it in the urine, or use it for other metabolic processes. Therefore, a person will not feel an unpleasant smell from the body.
If a person decides to lose weight and cuts the diet, then there will be a lot of ketones. The body does not have time to process them. Therefore, not only from urine, but also from the body, the smell of acetone will begin to emanate. It also smells like a person who is starving. In this case, the cells begin to break down their own fat stores to provide nutrition.
Diabetes mellitus can lead to excessive secretion of ketones. If the pancreas does not produce insulin, or the cells cannot absorb it, then the body simply stops absorbing glucose. The brain does not receive the nutrition it needs, which is why it gives a signal to break down fats. Again, ketones are released into the blood. They are excreted not only with urine, but also with sweat. Therefore, the body begins to smell unpleasant.
Smell of ammonia and excess nitrogen
Ammonia can smell from a person with various health disorders. This substance is very volatile, it allows you to get rid of excess nitrogen. Nitrogen is excreted in urine, sweat and exhaled air.
If ammonia smells from the mouth when breathing, then this may indicate developing kidney failure. In addition, this smell is often a sign of Helicobacter pylori infection, which causes stomach ulcers. Other pathologies that lead to the appearance of the smell of ammonia from the mouth include cystitis and liver failure.
If the smell of ammonia comes from the skin, then this indicates a reduced function of the liver and kidneys, which cannot remove excess nitrogen naturally. Therefore, it begins to stand out through the pores on the skin. Dehydration is also manifested by the smell of ammonia.
The problem of ammonia smell is experienced by people who follow a low-carb diet. In such a situation, a large amount of protein accumulates in the body. After all, it is much easier for him to break down carbohydrates. In order for proteins to stop breaking down, you need to introduce carbohydrate foods. This is important to consider when a person is seriously involved in sports.
Some sports supplements, vitamins, and medications can cause ammonia-like body odor. People who eat too much asparagus also smell like ammonia.
Body smells like fish
The smell of rotten fish is hard to confuse with anything else. Therefore, when it appears, trimethylaminuria can be suspected. This syndrome occurs with a rare genetic disease that develops due to a mutation in the FMO3 gene. It regulates the production of an enzyme (flavin monooxygenase-3) involved in the processing of trimethylamine (this substance is formed during the digestion of food). If there is not enough flavin monooxygenase-3, then trimethylamine accumulates in the body, which begins to remove it in all possible ways: with urine, sweat, with exhaled air. This causes a fishy smell.
Trimethylamine is represented by three compounds: lecithin, choline and carnitine. Therefore, all patients with flavin monooxygenase-3 deficiency should avoid eating foods that contain these substances.
These include:
Red meat, fish, whey. These foods are high in carnitine.
Egg yolk, buttermilk, seeds, nuts, raisins. They contain lecithin.
Liver, germinated cereals and chicken yolk contain choline.
If it is not possible to completely eliminate these products, then their intake into the body should at least be cut.
When rotten fish smells from the vagina, this indicates the development of a disease such as gardnerellosis. It is caused by bacteria that begin to multiply in the vagina. Normally, they are always present in it, but they do not show activity. Gardnerell becomes too much if the woman’s immune system decreases, or the acid-base environment of the vagina is disturbed. Their reproduction leads to the production of volatile amines – cadaverine and putrescine. They are the source of the bad smell. It tends to increase after intimacy. The fact is that semen has an alkaline pH, which contributes to increased production of volatile amines and enhances odor.
The smell of boiled cabbage
A genetic disease such as tyrosinemia leads to the smell of boiled cabbage from the human body. There are several types of this pathology, but with any variant, tyrosinemia leads to the fact that tyrosine (amino acid) cannot be broken down in the body. As a result, not only tyrosine, but also phenylalanine and methoine begin to accumulate in it.
In addition to the cabbage smell, a person suffers from serious disorders in the functioning of the kidneys, liver, and central nervous system. The patient’s bones begin to collapse.
Smell of sour dough
If a sour smell begins to emanate from the body, reminiscent of the aroma of sour dough, then a person develops Norwegian scabies. This is a serious disease caused by the scabies mite. This pathology is called crusted scabies, crusty scabies, etc.
Pathology occurs in people with a weak immune system. Norwegian scabies affects people at the stage of AIDS, with leprosy, with tuberculosis, skin lymphoma, age-related dementia, etc.
The smell of honey
The pathological activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa leads to the fact that the human body begins to smell sweet. Many people compare this smell to the scent of honey.
Interestingly, laboratory Petri dishes containing Pseudomonas aeruginosa exude a jasmine scent. However, this pleasant aroma should not be misleading, since Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most dangerous microbe that leads to serious illnesses. Moreover, hospital strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are very difficult to treat, as they do not respond to antibacterial drugs.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause the development of such severe pathologies as:
Meningitis.
Otitis.
Purulent sinusitis.
Abscess.
Often the microorganism affects the respiratory system and leads to death. Therefore, doctors quite reasonably consider the honey smell to be the most dangerous pathology that requires emergency treatment.
Cheesy body odor
Cheesy body odor occurs in people who suffer from a hereditary disease, accompanied by a deficiency of the enzyme isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase. In patients with this pathology, isovaleryl-CoA accumulates in the body, transforming into isovalerate and excreted in sweat and urine. It is this substance that leads to the characteristic cheese smell. And some people compare it to the smell of sweaty feet.
If the body begins to smell somehow unusual, then this signal of the body should not be ignored. Most often, a change in smell is associated with disturbances in metabolic processes. To find out the cause of such a failure, you need to contact the doctor.