Why do humans start getting body odor after they go through puberty?
In: Biology
Eccrine sweat glands are present from birth in humans and secrete sweat that is mostly water and functions in evaporative cooling, hence kids don’t seem to have body odor.
Apocrine sweat glands are found in the armpits and groin regions and become active in humans at puberty. These sweat glands secrete an oily substance containing lipids and proteins that through interactions with bacteria on the skin ( e.g bacteria digesting lipids), lead to the ‘smellness’ of adults (including body odor).
So it’s not the sweat that smells, it’s the action of bacteria on apocrine sweat gland that becomes prevalent after puberty. .
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