Why do people appear 'old man's taste' when they get old? Stick to 4 Habits After 40, Old or Tasteless

The 65-year-old Aunt Zhang recently wanted to develop a "second spring". Her wife has been gone for nearly fifteen years. Since the children around her have their own families, she began to feel lonely and wanted to have someone by her side. accompany her.

So under the introduction of the good sister, Aunt Zhang dressed up and went to meet her blind date, the 68-year-old Uncle Xu.

"Hey, why do you seem to have a smell on your body...weird." As soon as Aunt Zhang approached, she smelled a strange smell emanating from Uncle Xu's body , and instantly showed a look of disgust.

"I don't have any smell on me! I think there is something wrong with your nose." Uncle Xu didn't expect Aunt Zhang to come and sit down, so he said this to save his face, and directly refuted it.

"I think you have a problem with your nose. You can't smell such a big smell... I don't think we need to eat this meal again." As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Zhang picked up the packet and left, leaving Uncle Xu behind. Alone in the restaurant awkwardly.

In fact, friends who have been in contact with the elderly should have more or less smelled some elderly people who emit a smell, commonly known as "old man's smell". Can the elderly really smell this smell? Is there any way to eliminate it?

1. Why do people have an "old man's taste" when they are old?

In fact, the "old man's smell" is real, just like the smell of milk on the baby's body, the body will also have a special smell when it is old.

In an experiment to identify age by odor , published in PLoS ONE , the researchers took three groups of participants of different ages, collected their odors, and the evaluation group guessed the age of the donor for each odor sample.

It was found that the smell of young and middle-aged people was difficult to distinguish, but the smell of the elderly was instantly recognizable .

What is this "old man's smell" in the elderly?

Some studies have found that as people get older, there is a substance called 2-nonanal in the odor emitted by the human body . This substance smells like clothes that have not been washed for several years and have been covered with starch, a smell of moldy weeds. , which is likely to be the source of the "old man's taste".

In addition to 2-nonanal, there are also some from food, living habits, and some chronic diseases such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, etc., which may affect the metabolism of substances in the body, which will emit a relatively strong smell through breathing and sweat. These smells are also Let the elderly bring their own "smell".

So why can't the old man smell it? This has to talk about the "odor threshold", that is, the lowest concentration of this odor that can be smelled by the human body.

People with lower odor thresholds have more sensitive noses. However, studies have found that the odor threshold of the elderly is generally higher, that is to say, as people get older, their olfactory function is weakened, and their ability to recognize odors is becoming less and less sensitive .

Moreover, these "old people's smells" have accompanied the elderly for a long time, and the elderly have adapted to this smell, which has also led to many elderly people who "can't smell" themselves.

2. Different smells, or suggest that the disease is coming

In addition to the smell of the elderly, which is difficult to describe but can be known by smell, the human body sometimes emits some "smell", which may be early warning signs of the coming of some diseases...

1. Rotten apple flavor

When speaking, the smell of rotten apples is unique to diabetic patients. Diabetic patients are accompanied by different degrees of immune dysfunction, and the increase of oral pathogens will produce an unpleasant odor.

Coupled with high blood sugar, fat metabolism and decomposition are active, and a large amount of fat is decomposed into acidic substances, and gas with the smell of rotting apples will be exhaled .

2. Ammonia odor

When speaking, the mouth smells like urine, most of which may be caused by problems with the urinary system. When the kidney function cannot decompose toxins normally and the toxins cannot be excreted from the urinary system , urine will rely on the gasification function of the kidneys to complete.

3. Fecal odor

If your mouth has a strong taste, you can smell a fecal-like odor when you speak, which is likely to be caused by a gastrointestinal disorder.

When severe facial and intestinal obstruction occurs, the digestive ability is weakened, and the residual food will reflux and cause bad breath. If it is accompanied by nausea and abdominal pain, it is likely to be a digestive tract disease .

4. Sweat smell

There are many kinds of sweat odor, one is eating too much pungent odor food, such as garlic, raw onion, etc., it will emit a strong odor, but if there is odor in the armpit, that is, underarm odor, it is related to axillary odor sweat syndrome. related.

In addition, after rheumatic fever and long-term use of aspirin, acidic sweat will also flow out, giving off a strong sour odor.

5, rotten taste

If the old man exudes a rancid smell similar to salted fish, it is necessary to suspect that it may be related to chronic kidney disease and renal failure . When kidney function is damaged, the metabolites of nitrogen-containing substances in the body cannot be excreted in urine, and a carrion odor will be released through sweat and breathing.

3. Can the "old man smell" be eliminated? 4 habits to stick to after age 40

Research has shown that the odorant molecule 2-nonenal is only detectable on the surface of the skin of people over the age of 40. This kind of odor molecule will continue to be produced with the increase of age, so maintaining good hygiene and eating habits will help to eliminate the "old man's smell".

1. Eat a light and healthy diet

Middle-aged and elderly people should eat less irritating foods such as onions, leeks, and spices, and control meat intake. High-fat foods tend to increase the secretion of oil in the body, resulting in odor.

Daily supplementation of foods rich in vitamins C and E is more conducive to the body's metabolism and anti-oxidation.

2. Take a bath and keep clean

Body odor mostly comes from the accumulation of body oil, such as the neck, elbows, behind the ears, back, armpits, etc. Therefore, daily attention should be paid to the cleaning of areas with strong oil secretion.

When the weather is hot, you can increase the number of baths appropriately, and apply body lotion after bathing to maintain the balance of water and oil on the skin.

3. Exercise regularly

The elderly should maintain physical exercise, which can not only strengthen muscle activity and prevent premature osteoporosis, but also help to maintain liver and kidney function for a long time and prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases.

It is recommended that older adults complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise such as brisk walking and dancing per week.

4. Change clothes frequently and ventilate more

The underwear of the elderly is easy to deposit dead skin, so it is necessary to change clothes frequently, pay attention to regular cleaning of sheets and bedding, and open the windows of the room every day for ventilation.

If the odor is caused by chronic diseases, it is necessary to treat the primary disease first and improve the functions of the kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, oral cavity, etc., in order to fundamentally reduce the odor.

References:

[1] "When people are old, why do they smell strange? Everyone may experience it after the age of 40". Tencent Medical Dictionary. 2021-12-15

[2] "Why do you have an "old man's taste" when you are old? An experiment to smell, smell, taste and identify age". Life Times. 2021-06-17

[3] "Why do people have unpleasant odors when they are old? Can it be removed? 》. Family Doctor. 2021-05-26

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