Can eating garlic make you smell sexier? The surprising connection between diet and body odor

"How someone smells, whether it's good or bad, can leave a long-lasting impression. That's why we pour so much money into scented bath washes, deodorants and perfumes. But under all of those products remains our natural scent. And while factors such as illness and how often we bathe can affect that smell, so can food, according to a number of studies."

"I don't thinkno, it's not that clear-cut. So obviously, caveat here is that this is a very new field, and so we're only starting to collect data. We don't have that much data that we can really draw really, really good lines about, like, Smelling sweet is because you've eaten sweet stuff, or Smelling sour is because you've eaten sour stuff."

Body odor often leaves a long-lasting impression, prompting widespread use of scented washes, deodorants and perfumes. Natural body scent remains present beneath these products and can be affected by illness, hygiene and diet. Emerging studies indicate that foods can change body odor, but the evidence base is still small. Dietary effects are not straightforward because ingested foods are digested in the gut. Volatile compounds can return from the gut to the mouth as breath or enter the bloodstream and be excreted through sweat, altering perceived scent. Current research remains preliminary and far from definitive.

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