The body odor is formed from hundreds of chemical compounds inside us, which transform into gases at room temperature and escape every second.
According to IFL Science, before blood tests were developed, ancient Greek doctors often relied on their sense of smell to diagnose illnesses: they would sniff the breath of patients.
For instance, a fruity breath odor indicates that the sugar in a patient’s digestive system has not been broken down. This suggests a high likelihood that they have diabetes.
Body odor helps doctors diagnose certain dangerous diseases – (Photo: HUMNUTRITION).
Many modern studies have also validated this method. Body odor reveals a lot about health, as dangerous diseases like liver failure, diabetes, and certain infectious diseases can cause the body to emit unusual smells.
Chemist Linus Pauling, a two-time Nobel laureate, discovered more than 250 different chemical gases in human breath in 1971. These are known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Following Pauling’s discovery, many scientists continued to find hundreds of other VOCs. Most of them possess distinct odors that provide certain clues about the body’s condition.
Notably, nurse Joy Milner asserts that her husband’s breath odor changed significantly before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2005.
Breath is not the only source of VOCs in the body. Skin, urine, and feces also contain these compounds.
Researchers believe that VOCs on the skin may help humans decode how the microbiome and the human body work together to combat diseases and maintain health.
Previous studies have indicated that the acidity levels of VOCs on the skin could help distinguish between males and females or predict a person’s age with high accuracy.
In addition to creating personal scents, VOCs also serve as a communication channel between plants and animals. For example, flowers release specific scents to attract pollinators; these VOCs are called pheromones.
Pheromones also act as sexual attractants in the natural world. For instance, mice carry bacteria that can produce trimethylamine compounds, which help them identify and attract potential mates.
It is quite possible that humans also produce VOCs for similar purposes, although scientists have not yet been able to conclude definitively.
However, the VOCs in breath and on skin can reveal much about the human body, including aging rates, nutritional status, physical fitness, reproductive capabilities, and even stress levels.
