Everybody has body odor, but not everyone's body odor is considered pleasant (which is why deodorant exists). If you or someone you know has a body odor that tends to get noticed and frowned upon, then it might be advantageous that you gently suggest to them that they take measures to stifle it, for their own good.

What Causes Body Odor?

Per livestrong.com, everyone actually has their own unique body odor, and some are pleasant, some neutral, and some are unpleasant. This article refers to research published in 2014 in the journal Experimental Dermatology, which illustrates that the nature of a person's body odor is largely a product of their genetics. Body odor is produced when a person's sweat interacts with the bacteria on their skin. Sweat by itself is odorless, but many of the bacteria on skin tend to break down acids contained in sweat. The bacteria then produce waste, which is responsible for body odor. Different individuals have different types of bacteria on their skin, hence the differences in body odor. There are two different types of sweat glands (eccrine and apocrine), and apocrine are the type primarily responsible for producing sweat that leads to body odor, per livestrong.com. These glands tend to be concentrated in the genitals and armpits, where hair grows. Body odor tends to be more prominent in men because they sweat more.

Supplements That Might Help Alleviate Body Odor

When it comes to influencing one's own body odor, diet and lifestyle choices are the first things to consider. But if body odor persists even when these factors are taken care of, then other methods may be used to treat this pesky occurrence. None of the supplements recommended here are backed up by scientific evidence, but they all are thought to help alleviate body odor to some extent. Zinc is an underestimated yet important contributor to lessening the presence of body odor. Per leaf.tv, zinc is essential, and a zinc deficiency might be the factor leading to strong body odor. They make it clear that other factors should be eliminated before a strong body odor can be attributed to lack of zinc. Daily dosage of 30 or more mg may be necessary to help alleviate body odor. Vitamin C is an essential vitamin for all kinds of bodily processes and functions. Unsurprisingly, it can play a role in even the smallest of processes, such as the bacteria on your skin and corresponding body odor. Per healthline.com, a severe Vitamin C deficiency can manifest in scurvy (a worst-case scenario), and this causes sweat to give off a very bad smell. So for the sake of lessening body odor and your overall health, make sure to get Vitamin C. Coconut oil, recognized for also having a myriad of benefits, is useful in stifling body odor. Per stylecraze.com, combining a small amount of coconut oil with citric acid powder and applying it to the most sweat-prone parts of the body (see: armpits) can help to stifle the production of body odor. This works because coconut oil contains lauric acid, which helps to eliminate bacteria. Magnesium is a mineral essential to one's diet, but it is easy to not get enough of it, per bodyreport.net. Among other things, magnesium can be useful in combating body odor, so be sure to make sure that you get enough of it. Chlorophyllin is a mixture derived from chlorophyll (the substance found in most plants which helps absorb sunlight), to reduce body odor, per livestrong.com. They emphasize that this mixture is not for body odor produced from sweat, but rather from body odor resulting from the digestive tract. They reference research showing that 100 to 200 milligrams a day is effective.