Perspiration Nation

Do you feel grody about breaking into a sweat? Always have a change of clothes and a stick of antiperspirant handy in case a brief lunch outing leads to unsightly sweat rings during a meeting? As much as you might feel awkward raising a sweaty arm mid-meeting, Recess wants to give you three good reasons to embrace your sweat this summer! Reason # 1. Sweat Keeps You Alive. It’s a hot day and you’re sitting on your porch drinking ice tea. You feel something wet on your brow, forming there into a bead, then rolling down your face. Your immediate reaction might be, “Eew,” but it’s actually your body’s way of keeping you the right temperature. Without it we’d die. Learn to love your sweat because it keeps you happier than you’ll ever know, and-because the average person sweats up to 8000 milliliters on hot a day-you’ll have to get used to it. Sweating is controlled from a center in the hypothalamus, a part of your brain that, among other things, regulates body temperature. The hypothalamus is connected to temperature receptors in your skin and in your core, so when the skin gets hot it sends a message to your brain asking it to cool you off. However a rise in core heat causes more sweating than a rise in skin heat. Most people think sweating simply cools off the skin, and it does, but the actual process of sweating also regulates core temperature while the evaporation of sweat cools the skin. There’s been lots of controversy about whether or not sweat releases toxins in the body, but there isn’t enough scientific evidence to prove this one way or the other. One thing is for certain: sweat does not, itself, contain toxins housed in the body. However, the act of exercising, and ergo sweating, can burn fat, which often stores up toxins that like to bind themselves to lipids. So don’t become a sauna rat just yet. Reason # 2. The ladies love it! Sweat is not pure water, which is why, in addition to the presence of underarm bacteria, it smells. It contains trace amounts of salt and urea, the same chemical found in urine. But did you know that it also contains a chemical called androstadienone, a strange substance has been shown to change the mood and physiological arousal in women. Ooh lala! "Many people argue that human pheromones don't exist, because humans don't exhibit stereotyped behavior,” said Claire Wyart, a post-doctoral fellow at UC Berkeley who lead a study on the smelly substance. “Nonetheless, this male chemical signal, androstadienone, does cause hormonal as well as physiological and psychological changes in women.” Durring Wyart’s study the research team had women sniff samples of androstadienone, which smells vaguely musky, and then immediately had their blood tested for concentration of cortisol, a hormone commonly associated with alertness or stress. Upon getting a whiff of this chemical the level of cortisol rose in heterosexual women. Though Wyart’s findings don’t necessarily suggest the presence of pheromones in the human anatomy, "This is the first time anyone has demonstrated that a change in women's hormonal levels is induced by sniffing an identified compound of male sweat,” she said. So this chemical might not attract a partner as readily as one might have hoped (Pepé le Pew comes to mind) but these results might provide scientists with a safer, more natural way of fighting diseases characterized by low cortisol, like Addison’s disease. Instead of giving the hormone in pill form, which has side effects such as ulcers and weight gain, doctors might be able to synthesize a therapeutic musk. Perhaps they’ll call it Eau d’Armpit. Reason # 3. Letting it alone can help you fight cancer. Even though those notorious underarm circles may make you feel self-conscious, antiperspirants can have negative long term effects on your health. Some research has linked aluminum-based compounds, the active ingredient in most antiperspirants, to the onset of breast cancer. When you apply these compounds to your underarm (which happens to be only stones throw from your breast) the aluminum forms a kind of cork in the sweat duct. The cork stops the flow of sweat to the skin's surface and you kiss your pit stains goodbye. However, when applied frequently and left on the skin the aluminum can be absorbed and cause hormonal effects similar to those brought on by an excess of estrogen. And too much estrogen, as it were, promotes the growth of breast cancer cells. Others believe that the chemical in question is paraben, another active ingredient in some antiperspirants. Parabens, unlike aluminums, directly mimic the effects of estrogen. Eek! Luckily, with ingredient names like methylparaben and propylparaben it’s pretty sinchy to tell whether or not an antiperspirant contains this dangerous substance. Just in case, the National Library of Medicine’s Household Products Database has provided information about the ingredients used in most major brands of deodorants and antiperspirants. That database is available here. Try using alcohol or baking soda instead of antiperspirants. Alcohol kills the bacteria that causes odor to occur, allowing your sweat glands to live in peace without the mucky side effects. Baking soda, on the other hand, simply absorbs the odor because of its highly porous surface. Remember when mom used to put baking soda in the freezer to take out the smell of your uncle’s fish catch? It’s essentially the same mechanism. Just under your arms! And if that's a little too free-love and sweat embracing for your tastes then try experimenting with the growing number of paraben free underarm tonics in your local mercantile.