Why do people appear 'old people' when they are old? Adhere to 4 habits after the age of 40, old or tasteless

Aunt Zhang, 65 years old this year, recently wanted to develop a "second spring". Her husband has been gone for almost fifteen years. Since the children around her have their own families, she began to feel lonely and wanted to have someone by her side. stay with her.

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

"Hey, why do you have a smell...it's weird." As soon as Aunt Zhang approached, she smelled a strange smell emanating from Uncle Xu's body , and instantly showed a disgusted expression.

"I don't smell like that! I think there is something wrong with your nose." Uncle Xu didn't expect Aunt Zhang to say such words to save his face, and directly refuted back.

"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." As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Zhang picked up the small bag and left, leaving Uncle Xu behind One stayed in the restaurant in embarrassment.

In fact, friends who have been in contact with the elderly should have more or less smelled a smell emitted by some elderly people, commonly known as "old people's smell". Can the elderly really not smell this smell? Is there any way to eliminate it?

1. Why do people appear "old people" when they are old?

In fact, the "elderly smell" is real, just like a baby has a milky smell, and when an old person is old, the body will also have a special smell.

In an experiment published on PLoS ONE to identify age by smell, the researchers recruited three groups of participants of different ages. By collecting their smells, the evaluation group guessed the age of the donor of each smell sample.

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

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

Studies have found that as people grow older, there is a substance called 2-nonanal in the smell of the human body . This substance smells like clothes that have not been washed for several years and are wrapped in starch. It smells like a musty weed. , 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, so that a relatively strong smell will be emitted through breathing and sweat. Let the elderly bring their own "body odor".

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

People with lower odor thresholds have more sensitive noses. Studies have found that the odor threshold of the elderly is generally higher, that is to say, as people get older, their sense of smell weakens, and their recognition of odors becomes less and less sensitive .

Moreover, these "elderly smells" have been with the elderly for too long, and the elderly themselves have adapted to this smell, which has also caused many elderly people to "not smell" themselves.

2. Different smells may imply the coming of disease

In addition to the old man's smell, which is difficult to describe, but you can know it when you smell it, the human body sometimes emits some "smell", which may be an early warning signal of the coming of some diseases...

1. Rotten apple flavor

Diabetics are unique to the smell of rotten apples when they speak. Diabetics are accompanied by varying degrees of immune dysfunction, and the increase of oral pathogenic bacteria will produce an unpleasant smell.

Coupled with high blood sugar, it causes active fat metabolism and decomposition, and a large amount of fat is decomposed into acidic substances, and the gas with the smell of rotten 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 properly decompose toxins, and the toxins cannot be excreted from the urinary system , the urine will be completed by the gasification function of the kidneys.

3. Fecal odor

If the mouth has a strong taste and you can smell feces as soon as you speak, it is likely to be caused by gastrointestinal diseases.

When there is severe wall facing and intestinal obstruction, which leads to weakened digestion, 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 odor

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

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

5, rotten taste

If the old man exudes a rancid smell similar to salted fish, it is suspected that it may be related to chronic kidney disease or kidney failure . When the kidney function is damaged, the metabolites of nitrogenous substances in the body cannot be excreted with the urine, and a carrion odor will be released through sweat and breath.

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

Studies have shown that the odor molecule 2-nonenal can only be detected on the skin surface of people over 40 years old. This kind of odor molecule will continue to be produced with age, so maintaining good hygiene and eating habits will help 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 and cause odor.

Foods rich in vitamin C and E can be supplemented daily , which is more conducive to body metabolism and anti-oxidation.

2. Take a shower and keep clean

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

When the weather is hot, you can appropriately increase the number of baths, and apply body lotion after bathing to maintain the balance of water and oil in 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 maintain liver and kidney functions for a long time and prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases.

It is recommended that the elderly complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every week, such as brisk walking and dancing.

4. Change clothes frequently and ventilate more

Underwear of the elderly is prone to deposit dead skin, so clothes must be changed frequently, sheets and bedding should also be cleaned regularly, and windows should be opened to ventilate the room every day.

If the odor is caused by chronic diseases, the primary disease must be treated first, and the functions of the kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and oral cavity should be improved to fundamentally reduce the odor.

References:

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

[2] "Why do you have an "old man's smell" when you are old?" An Experiment to Identify Age by Smell and Smell". Life Times. 2021-06-17

[3] "Why do people smell bad when they are old?" Can it be removed? ". Family Doctor. 2021-05-26

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