Eat fresh, smell fresh – that’s the message from researchers at Macquarie University, who recently completed a new study indicating that men who eat more vegetables smell more appealing to women.
By providing sweat samples to female participants to evaluate, and cross-referencing it with markers of greater fruit and vegetable intake, the study has found that eating fresh produce results in more pleasant-smelling sweat with “floral, fruity, sweet and medicinal” qualities.
“The news that eating more vegetables can make you smell better comes as no surprise to anyone in our industry,” said AUSVEG spokesperson Shaun Lindhe.
“We already know that consuming the recommended amount of daily serves of vegetables has health and nutritional value, and that eating fresh vegetables is a vital part of a balanced diet, but it’s great that research is continuing to find even more benefits to eating veggies.”
“This research comes on the back of a study in 2015 which found that vegetables help to make your skin look great – so between the nutritional, aesthetic, olfactory and taste benefits, there are myriad reasons to load up your plate with fresh Australian vegetables.”
“When you add in the sound and texture of a crunchy carrot, crisp capsicum or other fresh veggies, having a salad can pay dividends for all five of your senses.”
The Macquarie University study, led by Dr Ian Stephen, asked female participants to evaluate the sweat samples on several affective, qualitative and psychophysical dimensions. This was compared to skin spectrophotometry measures for the male participants.
Previous studies have found that carotenoids, which accumulate in humans through fresh vegetable consumption, contribute to the yellowness of skin in Caucasians, meaning that slightly yellower skin is a mark of greater intake of fruit and vegetables – and has also been found to increase someone’s facial attractiveness to others.
“Australians are incredibly lucky to have our hard-working growers producing high-quality fresh vegetables right in our backyard, so do yourself – and the people around you – a favour by putting more veggies on your plate,” said Lindhe.
Image: Jeremy E.W. Fredericksen via Creative Commons