Eating onions and garlic makes your armpits “stronger”? -Life Health

Onions and garlic are not the main cause of underarm odor, but it is the factor that makes the smell worse. So, do raw and processed onions have different effects? To what extent should people with underarm odor limit their intake of these two spices?

Content 1. What causes body odor? 2. Why does onion and garlic make armpit odor worse? 3. Onions and garlic combined with which foods increase underarm odor? Effects of raw and processed onions and garlic on people with bad armpits5. How should people with bad breath eat onions and garlic?

The question of people with underarm odor should eat onions and garlic, whether eating onions and garlic will make armpit odor worse is the concern of many people. Below is the advice of BS. Ta Tung Duy – Vietnam Institute of Applied Medicine about this.

1. What causes body odor?

BS. Ta Tung Duy

Body odor is a common phenomenon. This condition is often caused by a number of causes including: genetics, personal hygiene and some diseases related to digestive problems, metabolism, liver disease, diabetes …

The main mechanism behind body odor is that bacteria on the skin metabolize the proteins and sugars in sweat that produce the unpleasant odor. Plus, the foods we eat on a daily basis can also affect body odor.

Some foods can help reduce body odor such as chicken, fish, watermelon, bananas, grapes, oranges, etc. While some other foods make body odor worse, such as onions and garlic. So why do onions and garlic cause this condition?

Onions and garlic contain volatile organic sulfur compounds and essential oils that give these two spices their characteristic odor.

2. Why does garlic make the underarm odor worse?

Onions and garlic contain volatile organic sulfur compounds and essential oils that give onions a characteristic odor.

Modern medical research confirms that garlic contains more than 100 pharmaceutical ingredients with 43 volatile sulfuric compounds, 13 sulfuric acid compounds,

Garlic contains Allicin, which protects the tubers from pathogens and pests. Allicin gives garlic its characteristic odor, this substance can penetrate through cell membranes or enter the bloodstream and then be excreted from the body through apocrine sweat glands in the armpit, perianal area and leg area. This smell combined with the smell of oily sweat secreted by the apocrine glands makes the underarm odor more intense.

If eating onions and garlic in large quantities, the smell can last 3-4 hours after eating.

Onions contain a lot of S-oxide propanethion and allinase, which creates a slight pungent odor when the enzyme structure is broken. This smell is typical of onions and is loved by many people. These substances, when entering the stomach, will cause chemical reactions with digestive secretions to release free sulfur radicals.

The remaining components are converted into Allyl methyl sulphide compounds – AMS (CH2=CHCH2SCH3). This substance, when it reaches the large intestine, will quickly penetrate a part of the blood and circulate throughout the body and also be excreted into the apocrine sweat glands in the armpits, private areas and legs, causing a strong smell of sulfur. .

Therefore, it can be seen that onions and garlic are not the main cause of underarm odor, but only a factor that makes armpit odor worse.

3. What foods combine with onions and garlic to increase armpit odor?

After eating, the substances in onions and garlic are not stored for long in the body. The degree of smell will depend on how much you have eaten before, if eaten in small amounts, the smell will be little or no. But if eating onions and garlic in large quantities, the smell can last 3-4 hours after eating.

In addition, when eating onions and garlic in combination with some foods and spices with other flavoring properties such as fish sauce, vinegar, alcoholic beverages, protein-rich foods, jackfruit, durian, greasy foods, etc. Garlic can cause onions and garlic to release more sulfur radicals when it encounters gastric secretions and increases the smell of sweat.

For people with underarm odor, eating dishes with processed onions and garlic can reduce the concentration of onions and garlic.

4. Effects of raw and processed garlic onions on people with bad breath

A clove of onion or garlic contains only the odorless sulfur-containing amino acid “alliin” and an enzyme called “allinase”. But when garlic is crushed alliin is exposed to allinase to form allicin. Therefore, if garlic is not minced and cooked, the enzyme will lose its effect and cannot form allicin.

If cooking with minced garlic, allicin content is retained to about 60%. Therefore, for people with underarm odor, eating dishes with processed onions and garlic can reduce the impact of the concentration of onions and garlic.

Fried onion

5. How should people with bad breath eat onions and garlic?

For those who suffer from underarm odor, the most important thing is to maintain personal hygiene every day, when exercise causes a lot of sweat and wet clothes, it is necessary to change immediately to avoid bacteria growth. In addition, people with underarm odor can use deodorant and antiperspirant products to improve underarm odor.

Although onions and garlic is only the factor that makes the underarm odor worse, people with bad armpits need to limit their intake of onions and garlic, should only eat 2-3 cloves of dried onions and garlic at a time or can use processed onions and garlic. to avoid making body odor worse.