7 Reasons Your Sweat Smells Bad

Sweat in most cases doesn’t have any smell. The body needs to sweat for cooling, which consists mainly of water and is odorless. But during puberty, the so-called apocrine sweat glands are activated, they secrete a variety of protein metabolism products, volatile fatty acids and other compounds. This mixture has a slight but not very unpleasant smell. Apocrine sweat determines the individual sexual aroma of each person.

If the sweat has a strong smell, it can be triggered by the characteristics of the body, nutrition, lifestyle, and even hidden health problems.

1. You Wear Athletic or Closed Shoes Without Socks

Socks are usually made from breathable fabrics. Their main task is to remove sweat from the feet. If you don’t wear socks, your legs literally bathe in sweat and bacteria that multiply rapidly in it. Moreover, bacteria in this area is special, they are called Bacillus subtilis. They give the sweaty skin and shoes a very specific and quite strong smell.

2. You Wear Clothing Made From Non-Breathable Fabrics 

Natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, and wool have breathable and moisture-removing properties. This means that they provide free access of air to the skin, preventing it from overheating and sweating. They also absorb sweat. In this case, the bacteria simply don’t have a breeding ground for reproduction and an unpleasant odor doesn’t occur.

But bacteria like materials such as polyester, nylon, and rayon. These fabrics look beautiful but they don’t remove sweat. As a result, an unpleasant odor appears quickly and is felt more strongly than in clothes made from natural fabrics.

3. You Eat a Lot of Spicy Foods

Garlic, curry, and other spices emit sulfur-containing gases when digested. These gases are removed from the body through the pores with sweat, giving the skin an unpleasant odor.

4. You Have Hormonal Imbalance

The number and composition of bacteria that live on the skin are largely dependent on the hormonal balance of the body. That is why due to the different ratio of androgens, progesterone and estrogen, men’s sweat smells stronger and sharper than women. Diabetes, menopause, and hormonal imbalance may speed up or slow down the reproduction of certain bacteria on the skin. By the way, they often increase sweating, which makes the unpleasant smell even more distinct.

5. You’re Taking Certain Medications

Some medications, such as antipyretics or morphine-based drugs, dramatically increase sweating by splitting into components in the body which change the body smell. 

6. You Drank Too Much Alcohol 

The body perceives alcohol as a poison and seeks to decompose and remove it as quickly as possible. Most alcohol is processed in the liver and excreted in the urine. But if you abuse alcohol, your body will remove toxins more actively through pores, making your sweat smelly.

7. You Have a Poor Nutrition

It has been proven that a deficiency of magnesium or excess of protein in the diet can make sweat smelly. 

How to Get Rid of Smelly Sweat?

• You should change your diet. Reduce the amount of proteins and spices in your diet and overcome magnesium deficiency. 


• You should wear clothing made from breathable fabrics.


• You can use an antiperspirant, which can mask body odor.


• You shouldn’t wear closed shoes without socks.


• You should check out the side effects of your medications. If medications increase sweating or cause an unpleasant odor, you can consult your doctor about the possibility of replacing them.


• You can also visit an endocrinologist to make sure there are no hormonal imbalances. This is especially necessary if you notice a sharp change in the smell of sweat.