The effect of meat consumption on body odor attractiveness

The effect of meat consumption on body odor attractiveness

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Chem Senses. 2006 Oct;31(8):747-52. Epub 2006 Aug 4.
The effect of meat consumption on body odor attractiveness.
Havlicek J, Lenochova P.

Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Husnikova 2075, 158 00 Prague 13, Czech Republic. jan.havlicek@fhs.cuni.cz
Abstract
Axillary body odor is individually specific and potentially a rich source of information about its producer. Odor individuality partly results from genetic individuality, but the influence of ecological factors such as eating habits are another main source of odor variability. However, we know very little about how particular dietary components shape our body odor. Here we tested the effect of red meat consumption on body odor attractiveness. We used a balanced within-subject experimental design. Seventeen male odor donors were on "meat" or "nonmeat" diet for 2 weeks wearing axillary pads to collect body odor during the final 24 h of the diet. Fresh odor samples were assessed for their pleasantness, attractiveness, masculinity, and intensity by 30 women not using hormonal contraceptives. We repeated the same procedure a month later with the same odor donors, each on the opposite diet than before. Results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the odor of donors when on the nonmeat diet was judged as significantly more attractive, more pleasant, and less intense. This suggests that red meat consumption has a negative impact on perceived body odor hedonicity.

PMID: 16891352 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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I'm not at all surprised. When I stopped eating meat, my body odor in general was less. When I went vegan, it was hardly even noticeable. It now takes 2 or 3 days of not showering for me to be stinky - and that's still less stinky than one day of not showering as a meat-eater. Not that I wait 2 or 3 days to shower...

Actually, not only do I not stink, but I smell sweet, a little bit like condensed milk of all things. My, ahem (tmi warning), excretions - fluid and otherwise, also smell quite sweet too (relatively at least). :rolleyes:

Maybe you're just made of sugar and spice. :lol2:

LOL... The weird thing is, if someone smells sweet, it can be a sign of diabetes, but I definitely don't have that. Strange...

It's your inner loveliness leaking out there, PB.

I perspire the elixir of youth myself.

Not as cools it sounds that, mind. OAP's turning up at the door wanting to lick me at all hours of night and day .. Grinds you down a bit after a time.

Pahahaha! You crack me up CG! :)

i believe it. and i don't think it's just meat that has that effect. i've been vegetarian since middle school, but always had a huge problem with odor. it was so embarrassing, and i always felt like a gross freak for having to take extreme measures and be constantly vigilant in order to not smell like garbage.

what finally solved the problem was going vegan and not eating any processed/packaged foods. apparently (i have no research to back this up, just my own experience) dairy and/or artificial chemicals can affect odor too.

The smell of my poo is enough to convince me it was the right decision to go vegan