What your body odour says about your health – and when it could be deadly
WE all smell occasionally.
Most of the time, this can be fixed with a quick shower, a roll of deodorant and spritz of perfume.
But smelling like rotten egg or even fruit, should be a cause of concern for anybody experiencing them.
Giulia Guerrini, a lead pharmacist from Digital Pharmacy Medino, previously told the Sun that the worst thing you can do when you notice a bad smell on yourself is to ignore it.
“You owe it to yourself (and the people around you!) to identify the cause as quickly as possible and get the proper treatment,” he said.
What could bad body odour be a sign of?
1. You’re overweight
People who are overweight or obese are more likely to have bad body odour (BO), GP Doctor Sophie Newton said.
This is because those who overweight or obese often have folds in their skin, which are breeding grounds for bacteria.
A previous study found that people who are overweight are more likely to have a poor sense of smell, compared to slimmer people.
This suggests people who are bigger are less likely to be able to notice when they smell bad.
Being overweight can increase the risk of many serious health conditions including type 2 diabetes, cancer and stroke.
2. Diabetes
If you have diabetes, a change in body odour could be a sign of diabetes-related ketoacidosis, which can smell “fruity”, the expert explained.
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) happens when there is severe lack of insulin in the body.
Insulin is a hormone which helps your body use glucose (sugar) for energy.
When your body goes into DKA the body can’t use sugar for energy, and starts to use fat instead.
High ketone levels cause your blood to become acidic and your body odour to be sweet.
There are a record five million people thought to have type 1 or type 2 diabetes in the UK – and of these 850,000 don’t know they have it.
Type 1 diabetes means that the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin.
Type 2 is when the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells do not react to insulin.
Untreated diabetes can lead to long-term complications, such as heart disease, kidney damage, vision loss or even death.
3. Liver disease
People who have liver disease can give off a bad smell, Dr Sophie said.
Sufferers can experience excessive sweating and a foul-smelling odour that’s been likened to rotten egg.
When a liver stops functioning, or slows down, several toxins and contaminants get built up in the urine sweat and breath.
The term “liver disease” refers to any of several conditions that can affect and damage your liver.
Left untreated, liver disease can lead to liver failure and liver cancer.
4. Kidney failure
Kidney failure is a long-term condition where the organs that filter waste products from the blood don’t work as they should.
If your kidneys fail your body can become overloaded with toxins and this can be life-threatening if the condition is left untreated.
People who have the condition may have body odour that resembles ammonia, the GP said.
This is due to a toxin build up in the body.