Nutrition Facts with Dr. Greger

Deodorize from the Inside Out

March 12, 2026

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  • Dietary changes, such as eating a large salad daily for chlorophyll intake, may help treat body odor by deodorizing from the inside out. 
  • Meat consumption is associated with a significantly less pleasant and less attractive body odor compared to a non-meat diet, potentially due to meat's link to inflammation. 
  • Shaving before applying aluminum-containing antiperspirants drastically increases aluminum absorption through the skin, raising concerns about toxicity and potential links to breast cancer, especially given that aluminum has demonstrated proestrogenic effects in lab settings. 

Segments

Body Odor and Attraction
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(00:00:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Body odor signals important information about eating habits and health, and women rank it as the single most important variable for partner attraction.
  • Summary: Body odor conveys information regarding diet, hygiene, and health status. A survey indicated that men value smell and sight equally for partner selection, whereas women ranked body odor as the most crucial factor for attraction. This highlights the evolutionary significance of scent in human interaction.
Chlorophyll as Deodorant
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(00:01:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Effective internal deodorizing with chlorophyll requires daily doses equivalent to about one-third of a bunch of raw spinach (around 100 mg/day).
  • Summary: Clinical studies dating back to the 1950s support chlorophyll’s use for improving body odors when taken internally. To reach the effective threshold demonstrated in studies, doses around 100 milligrams per day are necessary. This amount is achievable by consuming a large daily salad, suggesting a dietary approach before using antiperspirants.
Smell of Inflammation and Disease
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(00:02:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Inflammation, induced experimentally by endotoxin injection, results in a significantly more aversive body odor within hours, providing evidence that humans can smell inflammation.
  • Summary: Certain diseases, such as tuberculosis and typhoid, produce characteristic odors. Researchers experimentally confirmed that inflammation causes a detectable, aversive change in body odor shortly after exposure to endotoxins, which are found in meat. This suggests an evolutionary advantage in smelling immune activation.
Meat Consumption and Odor
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(00:04:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Body odor from men consuming a meat-inclusive diet was judged significantly less attractive and pleasant compared to when they followed a non-meat diet.
  • Summary: A controlled study tested the effect of meat consumption on body odor attractiveness, where male donors switched between meat and no-meat diets. Women judges rated the odor samples from the non-meat diet as significantly more pleasant and attractive, concluding that meat negatively impacts perceived body odor hedonicity.
Antiperspirants and Breast Cancer Risk
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(00:05:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Frequent antiperspirant use combined with underarm shaving is associated with an earlier age of breast cancer diagnosis, potentially due to increased aluminum absorption through abraded skin.
  • Summary: The location of most breast cancers near the armpit has prompted theories linking them to underarm product application, as aluminum levels are higher in breast tissue near the armpit. Shaving removes the protective outer skin layer, leading to a six-fold increase in aluminum absorption from antiperspirants. While early studies were inconclusive, later research linked shaving plus antiperspirant use to breast cancer diagnoses up to 20 years earlier.
Aluminum Toxicity Concerns
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(00:11:53)
  • Key Takeaway: A case report demonstrated that daily application of antiperspirant to regularly shaved pits caused severe aluminum toxicity symptoms in a woman, which resolved upon stopping use.
  • Summary: Despite dietary aluminum intake being high, a case of aluminum toxicity was directly linked to frequent antiperspirant use on shaved skin. Women with breast cancer have been found to have twice the aluminum levels in their breasts compared to healthy women. Experts suggest reducing aluminum concentration in antiperspirants or labeling them with warnings against use after shaving.
Antiperspirants Worsening Odor
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(00:13:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Ironically, antiperspirants can increase the types of bacteria that cause body odor, potentially leading to increased dependency on the product over time.
  • Summary: The use of antiperspirants can paradoxically worsen body odor in the long term. This effect is similar to how some antidepressants can increase depression over time, suggesting a cycle where increased use leads to increased need. This dynamic benefits the billion-dollar antiperspirant industry.