Food’s Surprising Impact on Body Odor: New Research Reveals What Makes You Smell Better or Worse

Recent European research has uncovered that human aroma carries significant biological information about health, age, and genetic compatibility—and certain foods can dramatically alter that scent, potentially affecting how attractive we seem to others.

Lina Begdache, an assistant professor of health and wellness studies at the State University of New York at Binghamton, explains that the relationship between food and body odor operates on a biological level. As foods are digested, the chemical interaction with bacteria in the gut releases gases that can result in halitosis, or bad breath.

Similarly, when food components are metabolized, some are perspired through the skin where they interact with bacteria to create distinctive odors. The most pungent culprits typically contain sulfur as a common ingredient.

“The volatility of sulfur compounds promotes more dispersion into the air, leading to a stench that can last more than five hours,” according to research from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower are “heavily packed with sulfurous compounds,” says Kerry Beeson, a UK nutritional therapist. Foods in the Allium family, such as garlic and onions, also significantly impact both breath and sweat odor.

Interestingly, while garlic may cause bad breath, research conducted over the last decade suggests it could make sweat smell more attractive. Jan Havlíček, a researcher from Charles University in the Czech Republic, notes that garlic’s antioxidant and antimicrobial properties may actually make men’s scent more “pleasant” to women.

Asparagus is another vegetable known to cause distinctive odors in sweat and urine due to asparagusic acid and sulfur compounds. However, a study published in the journal Chemical Senses indicates that not everyone can detect the asparagus odor in urine, as this ability depends on genetics.

On a positive note, Australian research from 2017 found that men who consume more fruits and vegetables tend to produce sweat with a more pleasant floral, fruity, sweet, and medicinal quality, according to female evaluators. The study also revealed that fat, meat, egg, and tofu consumption led to more pleasant-smelling sweat, while higher carbohydrate intake produced less pleasant odors.

Animal proteins carry their own olfactory implications. When broken down and excreted, meat and fish proteins interact with skin bacteria to create a “distinct” body odor, according to Beeson. Fish and beans contain trimethylamine, a strong-smelling compound that can lead to a rare condition called “fish odor syndrome” or trimethylaminuria.

In one of Havlíček’s studies from 2006, men who avoided meat for two weeks were rated as smelling more attractive, pleasant, and less intense by women compared to those who ate meat regularly. “To our surprise, those who were eating meat smelled slightly worse than when they were not eating meat,” Havlíček noted. “It’s something that was not common during our evolution, to eat meat every day.”

Alcohol consumption poses its own challenges for body odor. According to Begdache, large amounts of alcohol can cause sweat and the gastrointestinal tract to smell due to acetaldehyde, a compound released by the liver. Alcohol also dehydrates and reduces saliva flow, allowing more bacteria to flourish in the mouth and increasing the risk of bad breath.

Coffee and tea drinkers should be aware that caffeine stimulates the apocrine glands, which produce sweat in the armpits and groin, potentially resulting in stronger body odor.

Specific diets can also affect how we smell. Los Angeles-based registered dietitian nutritionist Ilana Muhlstein notes that ketogenic diets can yield “smelly and metallic” breath. “When your body breaks down fat for energy in a state of ketosis, it naturally produces different chemicals, including acetone, also known as nail polish remover,” she explained.

To combat unpleasant odors, Muhlstein recommends probiotic-rich foods like yogurt and kefir that improve the microbiome of the mouth and body. Proper hydration is also crucial.

“Odorous breath and body odor could be a sign of dehydration because the bacteria in your body is more concentrated, and therefore more smelly, so drinking more water and staying hydrated with electrolytes may help,” she advised. “Adding things like mint leaves or ginger to your water can have additional benefits, because they can add more antimicrobial elements and provide a fresh scent.”

This emerging research underscores how dietary choices extend beyond nutrition to influence social interactions and attraction through our body’s natural scent—another compelling reason to be mindful of what we eat.