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Jul 19, 2010  iStock/fotosipsak / iStock/fotosipsak A lot of people assume that it's just the way that coins smell, and the odor is rubbing off on their hands, but you're not smelling the metal so much as you're smelling yourself. That funky scent is actually a human body odor created by the reaction of oils in the skin contact with objects that contain iron (a separate, but similar odor, is created when we touch copper). What we think of as a "metallic smell" is only metallic by association. Here's how it works. When you touch something made of iron, perspiration on your skin cause the iron atoms to gain two electrons, and these doubly negative iron atoms react with oils in the skin, forming several types of compounds called aldehydes and ketones. If you've gotten a whiff of formaldehyde while dissecting frogs in science class or wrinkled your nose at the smell of acetone in nail polish remover, then you know that these compounds have very strong, distinctive odors. When German researchers captured and studied the chemical composition of vapors coming from the skin of people who had just handled iron objects, they found one compound, 1-octen-3-one, that has a particularly pungent fungus-meets-metal smell and is detectable by humans at very low concentrations. This compound may be the main component of the odor of your hands post-money-handling. You might have noticed that a similar smell is produced when blood meets skin. That's because blood contains iron and these iron atoms go through the same reaction you're your skin as the atoms from coins, producing the same scent molecules.
People with a heightened sense of smell may also pick up a metallic scent from blood on the skin, as blood contains iron and other minerals. Washing your hands with soap and water is often enough to make the metallic smell go away. Why do I suddenly smell metallic?Phantosmia is the medical word used by doctors when a person smells something that is not actually there. Phantosmia is also called a phantom smell or an olfactory hallucination. The smells vary from person to person but are usually unpleasant, such as burnt toast, metallic, or chemical smells. Why does my blood smell metallic? The doubly negative iron atoms react with oil in skin, causing them to decompose, forming 1-octen-2-one. Because blood contains iron, rubbing blood over skin produces a similar metallic smell, the researchers said. “That humans can ‘smell’ iron can be interpreted as a sense for the smell of blood,” Glindemann said. Do you smell when you have diabetes? BODY ODOR: FRUITY BREATH IS A SYMPTOM OF DIABETES Here’s what’s happening: Your body can’t create the energy it needs to function properly, so it begins to break down fatty acids for fuel. This creates a build up of acidic chemicals called ketones in your blood. What causes the smell of blood?An empirical test of the reaction of blood on the skin by Glindemann and colleagues [30] showed that a distinctive ‘metallic’ smell was produced, which was attributable to the oxidization of the hemoglobin’s iron molecules in the reaction with fat lipids in the skin. Why do I have a metallic smell on my fingers?After handling coins or other metal objects, you may notice a metallic smell on your fingers and assume that traces of metal are now on your hands. Research suggests it’s more complicated than that. How can I get the metallic smell out of my hands? Washing your hands with soap and water is often enough to make the metallic smell go away. If that doesn’t do the trick, try scrubbing your hands with a paste made of baking soda and vinegar and then washing them again with soap and water. Why do my fingers smell like copper and copper? If you’ve ever wrapped stacks of coins or rummaged through a change jar or coin collection, you may have noticed that your fingers retained the smell of copper or other metal. The same phenomenon can occur after touching a metal stair railing or other metallic surface. Why do I have a metallic smell on my Breath?When a metallic smell on your body or breath is the result of an underlying medical problem, you’ll likely have other symptoms that should prompt a visit to a doctor. Gum disease, for example, can cause bleeding gums, while neurodegenerative diseases are accompanied by memory or thought problems or movement disorders. Why do I have a metallic taste in my mouth?Ketosis. When your body burns fat for energy, the fat breaks down and creates chemicals called ketones. This is called ketosis. A byproduct of ketones is a chemical called acetone. Your body gets rid of the acetone in your body by breathing it out, which is why you may have a funny taste in your mouth. Why does my body smell like sulfur all the time? A sulfur-like odor often occurs when the methionine isn’t broken down properly within the body. You may also experience breath or sweat that smells like sulfur. If you’re experiencing symptoms like these, see your doctor for diagnosis. Why do I have a bad smell in my mouth? If bad breath isn’t cleared up by brushing your teeth or using mouthwash, it may be a sign of another issue. Over time, bacteria can cause tooth decay and gum disease. Decay and gum disease do not smell good. Both require a trip to the dentist for treatment. Other causes of foul breath odor may be sinus, throat, or lung infections. Why does my Breath have a foul smell?Other causes of foul breath odor may be sinus, throat, or lung infections. These need to be treated by a health care professional, too. Your breath can also carry clues of disease from other parts of your body. Not sure if this is the right subreddit. But sometimes I have this weird smell of iron/coins on my fingers? I haven’t touched any coins and I don’t work with metals. It happens very randomly, it’s not frequent but I was curious if there was a cause ? Home Beauty Face and Body Care
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If a shower can’t cut the odor being emitted from your pits, it could be a sign of a magnesium deficiency. “The mineral magnesium helps in ‘deodorizing’ our internal organs and also helps with our body odor,” says cardiologist Robert Segal, MD, co-founder of LabFinder. When we consume too much caffeine and sugar and processed foods, it can deplete magnesium levels. If you’re not smelling so fresh and have other symptoms like muscle cramping, twitching or numbness, and tingling, ask your doc about a simple blood test to check your magnesium levels. Read more about what your body odor is really trying to tell you.
If you have a digestive disorder such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, you could be short on zinc. This mineral helps your body manage waste and toxins, says Dr. Segal; when a digestive order is present, the body may not absorb zinc as it should. Too little zinc—you might stink. A blood or urine sample can test levels, but zinc has a pretty low presence in the body to begin with. Since it’s related to a digestive order, talk to your doctor about how to manage the odor.
If a floss, brush, or piece of minty gum can’t cut the odor, you may have a bacterial infection, Dr. Segal warns. A common bacteria called H. pylori that can take up residence in your digestive system could be to blame. For some, the bacteria doesn’t cause any noticeable symptoms; for others, it can lead to GERD, celiac disease, stomach ulcers, and even gastric cancer. Your doctor can test you for the bug; antibiotics can wipe it out. Learn about more sneaky reasons you might smell worse than normal.
“When we don’t have enough insulin in our body, our liver then creates the chemical ketones, which are our body’s way to compensate for the lack of insulin,” says Dr. Segal. Rotten-apple breath is related to unbalanced insulin-dependent diabetes, according to research published in the Journal of International Society of Preventative and Community Dentistry. This is a clear sign that you should check in with your doctor. If you have already been diagnosed with diabetes, you may need to talk to your doctor about ways to better control your blood sugar. Check what your sweat could be saying about your health.
Since it’s (hopefully) been several years since you stuck a pea or LEGO up your nose, there’s probably another reason your nose smells foul. “The reason it smells is because of the close proximity and interconnectedness of our oral cavity to the sinuses and throat,” says Kathleen R. McDonald, MD, with Houston Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy Clinic. “Nasal odor occurs for a variety of health conditions, like postnasal drip, tonsil stones, a decaying tooth, sinus infections, and nasal polyps.” Time to call the doc and have a chat about all your symptoms to find the culprit.
Yep, your ear wax can turn foul. “If you have really smelly and off-putting ear wax, most likely you’re suffering from an infection of some kind, and that’s what’s leading to the pungent aroma,” says Dr. McDonald. “Another example of this is when you have ingrown hairs or a sebaceous cyst, and when that irritation or infection ruptures, the by-product within is almost always foul-smelling,” Ring up your primary-care physician to identify and treat the odor.
Maybe it’s not the shoes’ fault your feet stink: According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, excessive sweating of the feet—all-day, every day, summer and winter—could be a rare condition called hyperhidrosis. For some, the sweating is so intense that their feet are actually sliding around inside their shoes. If your feet are always sweating and one pair of socks can’t get you through the day, check with a podiatrist to get help in managing the symptoms. Try these home remedies to stomp out foot odors.
If you practice good oral hygiene, you shouldn’t be waking up with sewer breath. “In many cases, we see that people who are mouth breathers (due to nasal congestion) are actually people with undiagnosed sleep apnea [a dangerous sleep disorder]. In addition, it gives them bad breath due to very dry mouth,” says Michael J. Breus, PhD, a clinical psychologist who specializes in sleep disorders. So if you have bad morning breath and you snore viciously—and especially if you feel exhausted all the time—you should talk to your doctor about doing a sleep study.
Yeah, poop is never going to smell good. But if you persistently have loose stools, high-volume diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, or especially stinky poop, it deserves a checkup. According to Daniel Freedberg, MD, assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center, your diet can change your stool’s odor from day to day, but some people with lactose intolerance or C. difficile, a colonic infection, tend to have stools that are stinkier than usual. Check out these weird pooping habits and their scientific explanations.
Trimethylaminuria is a big word for “fish odor syndrome.” In this rare genetic disorder, an enzyme in the body (called FMO3) fails to do its job of breaking down trimethylamine, a chemical found in foods like milk, eggs, beans, and organ meats, according to the National Institutes of Health. This chemical compound has a pungent, sulfurous odor that can smell like rotting fish or eggs; at higher levels, you may get whiffs of urine or trash left in the sun. While there’s no cure, you can minimize trouble by avoiding foods with trimethylamine. Read which other foods could secretly be giving you body odor.
Breath that smells musty or similar to garlic and rotten eggs is annoying on its own; it’s very concerning if you haven’t actually been eating garlic or eggs. Marc S. Rabinowitz, MD, of Prevention First Healthcare says that if the liver starts failing at its job of detoxifying the blood—this can happen with cirrhosis, for example—your breath can go sour. It’s important to see your doctor soon: A study in the Journal of Chromatography B reveals that cirrhosis of the liver can be virtually symptom-free; bad breath may be your best and earliest warning sign. Check out these tips for getting rid of garlic breath.
A fishy odor, along with increased vaginal discharge, is the trademark of an infection called bacterial vaginosis, says Sherry Ross, MD, an OB/GYN and author of She-ology. All women have bacteria that normally hang out in the vagina, but sometimes the natural balance gets thrown out of whack. Most commonly, this can happen during your period, from douching, or after having a lot of sex or sex with a new partner. It’s important not to rush to the drugstore to get rid of the odors with over-the-counter treatments without calling your gynecologist first, she says, adding this usually needs a prescription of antibiotics to treat the infection and the fishy odors.
“A person with kidney failure may have breath that smells like ammonia or urine,” says Dr. Rabinowitz. That’s because your kidneys are failing to filter waste products from your body. Kidney failure comes on slowly: If you also have muscle cramps or swelling in your feet and ankles, or if your bathroom habits have changed, get checked out in a hurry. Check out these diseases doctors can detect by smell.
If friends and coworkers seem extra generous sharing their mints with you, they may be signaling that you have perpetually sour breath. You could have some issues with your gums. “Odors in the mouth are by-products of bacteria, plaque, and hard deposits known as calculus (tartar) that are left behind on teeth,” says Scott Eisen, DDS, of Catonsville Dental Care. When you skip dental cleanings and get lazy about flossing and brushing, plaque builds up around the teeth and begins to infect the gums, leading to periodontal disease. The gums then begin to pull away from the teeth, causing deep pockets where food gets trapped—and that will stink up your mouth in no time (not to mention risk the loss of your teeth). See your dentist soon. And be sure to avoid these surprising foods that can give you seriously bad breath.
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Originally Published: October 03, 2019 |
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