How Much Garlic Causes Body Odor and Can Showering Eliminate It?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the effects of garlic consumption on body odor, including how much garlic can be eaten before noticeable odor occurs, the time it takes for the odor to manifest through the skin, and whether showering can effectively eliminate the smell or if it is something that must naturally dissipate from the body.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that the amount of garlic consumed and its preparation (cooked vs. raw) significantly affect the intensity of the odor emitted through the skin.
  • One participant notes a personal experience where consuming a large amount of garlic resulted in a noticeable odor the following day.
  • There is mention that the garlic smell could be attributed to cooking odors lingering on clothing rather than emanating from the body itself.
  • Another participant raises the possibility of a metabolic disorder that could cause a garlic smell independent of garlic consumption, referencing Trimethylaminuria as an example.
  • Some participants express differing views on the strength of the garlic smell, with one noting that they find the smell pleasant while others may not.
  • Discussion includes humorous remarks about the topic, including jokes related to vampires and garlic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specifics of how garlic affects body odor, with multiple competing views and personal experiences shared throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about the effects of garlic on body odor depend on individual differences, such as metabolism and personal sensitivity to odors. Additionally, the discussion touches on the potential for cooking odors to confuse the source of the smell.

Monique
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How much of it can you eat before you get surrounded by a halo of garlic odour, how much time does it take before the odour starts going through your skin, will a shower clean you enough or is it something that just needs to get out of your system?

No, no one complained yet o:), but at times I do put garlic in my diner and on bread. One time I was sitting in a tiny classroom that we barely all fit into, and all of a sudden I could smell garlic. There was a chinese person sitting next to me, so I guess it wasn't me :biggrin:
 
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Monique said:
How much of it can you eat before you get surrounded by a halo of garlic odour, how much time does it take before the odour starts going through your skin, will a shower clean you enough or is it something that just needs to get out of your system?

It really depends on the person and how the garlic is prepared. Cooked garlic tends to be less pungent. So you can consume a lot of those before your pores start to eminate the lovely garlic ordor (I have no problem with smelling garlic). I also know of someone who would eat a clove of garlic and his breath would smell like it, whereas most people could at that without such effect.

The only time I did notice an effect was after I went to this restaurant in San Francisco called The Stinky Rose. They had a chicken there cooked with at least 10 heads of garlic. I could smell garlic coming out of my skin the next day.

BTW, when you smell that garlic incident, it could be the cooking ordor that stuck to that person's clothing, rather than something from that person itself.

Zz.
 
BTW, when you smell that garlic incident, it could be the cooking ordor that stuck to that person's clothing, rather than something from that person itself.
You're right, I knew a chinese person who would shower every morning, but would still have a garlicy odor. Using a wok causes a lot of oil to go into the air, so that would explain.
 
I was unable to come up with a good vampire joke..:cry:
 
arildno said:
I was unable to come up with a good vampire joke..:cry:
Q: What does one lesbian vampire say to another lesbian vampire?
>>A: See you same time next month.[/color]<<

I was looking for a gay vampire joke, but I guess there aren't any... :wink:
So why are there no gay vampires??

Oh, no wonder I couldn't find any:

What do you call a gay vampire?
The tooth fairy.

:rolleyes:
 
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Well, found this vampiric coming-out story on the net:
"Mom? Pop? I am bineckual"
 
Garlic intensity typically goes along a scale that is determined by the amount of processing of the clove that you do. Thus cooked garlic is going to be less strong than raw, since many of the odiferous compounds have been altered by heating. The amount you chop the garlic also factors in, the more you break up the cells, the more alliin is allowed to react with alliinase (alliin lyase) to form allicin, a sulfur containing compound that gives garlic that smell (http://www.allicin.com/). The allicin is oxidized fairly rapidly into numerous other potent sulfur compounds, so fresh garlic, finely minced and used immediately will probably be the strongest. You may be able to prolong the allicin by adding oil to reduce oxygen exposure, add a little crusty bread and you're all set.
 
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Isn't there some metabolic disorder that leave people with a garlic smell that's unrelated to eating garlic? I seem to recall hearing something about that somewhere, but I'd need to look that up to verify it.

I think when people eat enough garlic for it to alter the scent of their body, it's not really a strong garlic smell that you notice (unless it's on their breath; I know an optometrist who won't eat anything with garlic Sunday through Thursday so she doesn't have garlic breath Monday through Friday when she's working close to the faces of her patients). Then again, I'm a garlic lover myself, so when I had a boyfriend who was Italian and had a LOT of garlic in his diet (he ate even more garlic than I do, and I love my garlic), I thought he smelled great!

Though when I made that hummus last week that had lots of raw garlic in it (a bit too much), everything smelled like garlic...I could smell it as soon as I walked past my kitchen, so the possibility that the garlic smell is really on your clothes and not being exuded by your body sounds pretty plausible there.
 
Since you can't eat garlic while sitting on the toilet, you'll reach a natural equilibrium. :biggrin:
 
  • #10
russ_watters said:
Since you can't eat garlic while sitting on the toilet, you'll reach a natural equilibrium. :biggrin:
I suppose you could do that, but...
 
  • #11
russ_watters said:
Since you can't eat garlic while sitting on the toilet, you'll reach a natural equilibrium. :biggrin:
:confused:
I can eat carrot while sitting on the toilet, can't I?
Why can't I eat garlic there?
 
  • #12
Moonbear its called Trimethylaminuria or Fish Malodor Syndrome. They can't process choline, there body smells can range from garlic to just plain rotten.
Selenium toxicity also creates a garlic smell in humans.
 
  • #13
hypatia said:
Moonbear its called Trimethylaminuria or Fish Malodor Syndrome. They can't process choline, there body smells can range from garlic to just plain rotten.
Selenium toxicity also creates a garlic smell in humans.
Do I contract this if I eat garlic on the toilet?
 
  • #14
lmao, its genetic, but I wouldn't push my luck. :smile:
 

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