Body odour is the unpleasant smell that can occur when you are sweating. Human sweat is mostly odourless. However, the bacteria that live on the skin can break down the sweat into acids, which produces an unpleasant odour.
How common is body odour?
All people who have passed the age of puberty can produce body odour. Puberty usually occurs between 14-16 years of age in girls, and 15-17 years of age in boys. Factors that can make body odour worse include:
- Being obese.
- Eating a diet that is high in spicy foods.
- Having certain medical conditions, such as diabetes.
As men tend to sweat more than women, they are more likely to have body odour.
Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
Around 1% of the population have a condition called hyperhidrosis, which causes them to sweat excessively. However, those with hyperhidrosis tend not to develop body odour because the sweat that they produce is too salty for the bacteria to break down.
