Bad Body Odor May Be Caused by Metabolic Disorder, Monell Chemical Senses Center Study

One-third of people with unexplained body odor may actually have an inherited metabolic disorder, a new study finds. This disorder that impairs their ability to metabolize a compound -- produced naturally from many foods -- that has a foul, fishy odor. The hereditary disorder is called trimethylaminuria (TMAU), a disease that impairs the ability of an enzyme to metabolize or transform the compound trimethylamine (TMA).

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