Cotton clothes reduce body odor than polyester

A new study conducted in Belgium has confirmed that polyester-absorbing polyester fibers produce more body odor than cotton fibers, meaning that polyester clothes will stink more than cotton clothes after exercising.

>>>5 unexpected things you don't know about body odor

Author Chris Callewaert of Ghent University (Belgium) asked 26 athletes to hand over their training clothes after spending an hour training with high intensity. Half of these shirts are cotton, the other half is polyester.

"When sweat is secreted, they have almost no smell because the chains of fatty acids secreted under the armpits are hard to destroy. But bacteria can decompose these chains as well as sulfur compounds and hormones into The molecules smell, " Callewaert said.

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The culprits here according to Callewaert are microscopic spherical bacteria and they cling to polyester fabric in larger quantities than cotton.

Although odor-causing bacteria are produced in the underarm area, Callewaert thinks they cannot reproduce on any fabric, including polyester, and the abuse of antiperspirants actually increases. the amount of this bacteria on the skin. The bacteria will gather in the skin under the arm and the nearby fabric, creating a smell.

"Body odor is very normal, but this problem is underestimated. Many people do not know what to do with their body odor, even psychological stress when talking to strangers. go out on the street for fear that others will comment on their smell , " Callewaert said.

In fact, the tendency to put body odor-fighting compounds into exercise clothes fabric has been criticized.

A 2012 study by the Swedish Chemical Agency found that these substances will decay into silver, triclosan and triclocarban molecules, sometimes after only a few washings.

Triclosan and triclocaban can be harmful to human health and the environment. To overcome this, some sportswear companies have added nano-silver molecules that are thought to be difficult to remove when washing.

But a study by Danish scientists opposes this because nano-silver molecules can pass through the cell membrane, creating free radicals that can lead to serious illnesses such as cancer or Alzheimer's. .