The battle between men and women rages on, and subject for today is body odor; who stinks more, men or women? There are many factors that determine how much a person smells, and many of them are independent of gender. However, there are a few differences that are important. Before getting into that, it is important to mention the general causes of body odor.
The human body has on average 2 million sweat glands. We also have two types; apocrine and
eccrine glands. Eccrine glands cover the majority of our bodies and produce sweat which is comprised mainly of water and salts. Eccrine glands are smaller in size than apocrine glands and are primarily used to cool the body. Apocrine glands on the other hand are larger and concentrated mainly in the underarm and genital area. These glands produce a thicker, fattier sweat that contains proteins and lipids. Bacteria feed on this type of sweat and produce waste compounds that we associate with body odor.
How and why we sweat is the primary difference between men and women as it pertains to body odor. Women tend to produce more sweat, but male sweat glands are generally more active.
Essentially this means men are likely to sweat more frequently, but when a woman does sweat she produces more at a time. In addition, studies have shown men to have more sulfide and other odor compounds in their sweat than women. Their sweat tends to have a stronger odor similar to vinegar or cheese.
Looking at the information, one can reasonably assume that men in fact have a stronger body odor smell in comparison to females. They sweat more often and contain more odor compounds in their sweat. Both factors contribute to body odor.
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