What foods should you avoid if you have smelly armpits?

Why food causesarmpit odor?

The cause of armpit odor is the secretion of sweat glands. Sweat glands are small tubular structures of the skin that help the body cool down when hot. There are two main types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine. Eccrine glands are present in many locations throughout the body, pouring directly onto the skin surface.

Apocrine glands are located in areas with many hair follicles such as the groin and armpits. When the body heats up, the eccrine glands secrete a fluid called sweat. Normally, this fluid is odorless and has the effect of cooling the body. However, the fluid secreted from the apocrine glands contains iron, lipids, and proteins. When these substances encounter bacteria, the bacteria decompose and create an unpleasant odor, called armpit odor.

Increased underarm sweating and increased unpleasant odor are common in people who have the habit of eating a lot of greasy foods, spicy foods, doing sports, working a lot... Increased sweating means that the substances in sweat also increase, which can easily cause inflammation and create bad odor in the underarms.

Most foods do not directly affect underarm odor, but they do affect sweat glands. Because after food is taken into the body, enzymes in the digestive system will break down protein into amino acids, fat into fatty acids and carbohydrates into simple sugars. This process must go through digestion to break down food, causing the body to generate heat. When the body generates a lot of heat, it will lead to sweating.

Foods people with smelly armpits should avoid

Foods that tend to make the body generate heat and sweat more include: spicy peppers, stimulants, eating too much protein, foods with strong spices such as onions, garlic, etc.

Spicy foods or foods containing a lot of spices such as chili, onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass can be released through sweat glands, carrying an unpleasant, strong odor and making underarm odor worse.

Foods rich in protein such as seafood and dark red meat can increase body temperature and cause more sweat than usual.

Stimulants such as coffee, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, etc. when used too much can make underarm odor worse because these drinks are strongly acidic, causing more sweating and thus body odor will also be more unpleasant.

Foods rich in sulfates like cruciferous vegetables can cause chemical reactions in the body and create underarm odor.

Fruits such as jackfruit, durian, etc. also cause the body to generate heat and increase sweating. In addition, the smell of these fruits can also escape through sweat glands and cause unpleasant odors.

Foods that are processed with a lot of oil such as fried foods also cause the body to generate heat and sweat a lot, causing an unpleasant odor.

What should people with smelly armpits eat?

Drink lots of water: When you drink lots of water, it will help your metabolism and detoxification process happen faster. Sweating will reduce toxic waste and significantly reduce odor.

Foods rich in calcium and magnesium such as avocados, bananas, beans, etc. have the ability to prevent and inhibit the odor secreted in the armpit area. Therefore, adding these foods to your daily diet, although not curing armpit odor, is beneficial in limiting odor.

Fresh fruits such as watermelon, oranges, fresh lemons, etc. contain a lot of water and vitamins, helping to increase excretion speed and limit underarm odor.

How to reduce armpit odor

Although underarm odor cannot be cured, it can be limited through daily practices such as:

Always keep your body clean. Especially in hot weather, when you sweat a lot, bacteria will increase production and activity, making the armpit odor worse. Therefore, bathing daily and keeping the armpit area dry can reduce the condition of armpit odor.

Wear cool, sweat-absorbent clothes: Prioritize choosing clothes made of fabric that absorbs sweat well and limits the accumulation of bacteria and the decomposition of substances in sweat. It is best to choose 100% cotton fabric.

Limit shaving and plucking armpit hair: If you do not want armpit hair, you should use safe hair removal methods. Do not shave or pluck armpit hair because of the risk of folliculitis as well as the condition of dilated pores causing sweat glands to work more, sweat secretion increases and increases unpleasant odor.

Get enough sleep: Sleep also directly affects the secretion of body odor. Staying up too late or not getting enough sleep or not sleeping on time will cause hormonal imbalance in the body. From there, the sweat glands will also work harder, secreting more sweat causing unpleasant odors.

Using roll-on or spray deodorant: This is a commonly used solution. This is a convenient method, prevents sweating, and effectively deodorizes. However, this method does not completely eliminate underarm odor. Therefore, it is still necessary to pay attention to performing the above steps.