Can a Poor Immune System Cause Body Odor?
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Genetics
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The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) consists of a particular bunch of genes that help in coding the immune system, usually found in vertebrates. While these MHC molecules are key in determining the body's immunity to viruses, they also play an important role in developing a person's scent, or body odor. These are the genotype and phenotype of MHC, immunity portrayed inside the body and odor portrayed outside the body. When the immune system is at work fighting bacteria and viruses, you not only smell the odor caused from the chemical reaction between the two, but the bacteria itself will also give off an odor, which is sometimes stronger than the immune system.
Connection
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Because of the genetic link between the human immune system and bodily odors, you can see a correlation between how strong the immunity is and how strong the body odors are. This is most noticeable in the repugnant odor of the deceased, which occurs from the breakdown in the immune system. The same sort of body odor can also be seen in foot odors. Here, the immune system is working hard to fight off all the bacteria on the feet, and as a result, a strong scent might emanate from the soles or the toes.
Particular foods such as garlic and asparagus will also have a similar effect on the body, causing volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, to be formed in your system. VOCs are airborne chemical molecules that often appear by way of either urine or sweat. While these foods may have a positive effect on the body and immune system, there are more clearly seen effects in the human scent. So a strong odor after a workout is not always due to bacteria but may be connected to the immune system.
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Result
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Because these two factors correlate, people are affected in their everyday lives. Humans give off a very low and particular scent that many of their loved ones have probably grown accustomed to, but although it mostly goes unnoticed, body odor can easily get out of hand. Because of poor hygiene and bodily health, odors can grow to be very offensive. It is often seen and smelled in people of poor health, who are sick with anything from a common cold to lung cancer. Most commonly, though, is the smell of bad breath due to lack of oral hygiene and the breach of oral immunities.
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