Body Odour - how can I fix it?

Body Odour

Article by Angela Haldane

Q. I suffer from body odour, which makes me very self-conscious. Are there any natural remedies for this?

A. Sometimes body odour occurs as a result of eating certain foods such as garlic, cumin, curry and even onions. Garlic body odour can last for days on some people. Alcohol can cause body odour, and drinking too much can definitely give you a certain scent the next day.

More frequently, body odour is caused by a simple mineral deficiency. Magnesium (400mg a day) and zinc (25mg a day) have been found to give total relief from chronic body odour.
It is also helpful to take vitamin B complex (25mg a day) for the vitamin B6. Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA; 400mg a day) may help to remove fromt the body the substances that cause odour.

People with a yeast problem often have a musty smell. The yeast can be detected on an allergy test.

Excess dietary fat intake can also increase body odour.

Trimethylamine (TMA) is responsible for the unpleasant "fishy" body odour you get when you eat too much choline – i.e. eggs, beans, chicken, fish. When unabsorbed, choline reaches the large intestine and bacteria then converts this excess to TMA (the compound responsible for the "fishy" odour).

As for deodorants, the best natural product – without parabens – is produced by Miessence. 

Shower daily and wear clothes made from natural fibres such as cotton, silk and wool, rather than synthetic ones. I can recommend Icebreaker merino t shirts.