bjones
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Feet are one of the smelliest parts of the body. Most body odors are caused by two factors – moisture and bacteria. When you smell someone’s foot odor, what you really smell is bacterial waste. Bacteria on the skin multiply when the skin gets wet. Our feet have over 250,000 sweat glands on them, and they are frequently closed up with socks and shoes, so the moisture from our own sweat stays on our skin for long periods of time. Bacteria naturally live on our skin at all times. When we sweat, the bacteria begin to reproduce. As they reproduce, they eat the protein and oil in our sweat. Just as all animals, bacteria produce a waste byproduct from digestion. The bacteria on our skin issue acids as wastes. Although these acids are too weak to be caustic, they do produce a very strong odor.
Interestingly, the body has two different types of sweat glands. Apocrine glands produce sweat that has more oil and protein in it, so they are fertile ground for bacterial growth. Body parts with apocrine glands are much smellier than other parts of the body. These glands are located in the armpits, groin, belly button, and breasts, but not the feet. Feet have eccrine glands which produce sweat that is very low in protein and oil. The sweat from eccrine glands rarely smells because it is not ideal for supporting bacteria. This means that if we keep our feet open, they will smell no worse than our hands or arms. It is only because we keep our feet in shoes, which keeps them wetter for longer, that the odor-producing bacteria have a chance to grow.
 Posted 5371 day ago
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