14 DAY TRIAL // Like morning breath and boogers, having stinky feet is the sort of experience pretty much every human being on the planet is all too familiar with. It's just not something that we like to talk about.
In a new video in their Reactions series, researchers with the American Chemical Society explain the chemistry behind stinky feet.
Why our feet are prone to making people tear when we take off our shoes and what we can do to try and exercise at least some control over the odors they tend to produce - it's all in the video.
In a nutshell, the reason our feet usually smell worse than other body parts is that they are the perfect environment for bacteria colonies to grow and thrive.
Feet sweat, which means bacteria have all the moisture they need to survive and breed. Besides, they shed a whole lot of dead skin cells, which means there is plenty of food to go around.
Now, having myriads of bacteria live on our feet most definitely wouldn't be such a hassle if it were not for the fact that, when feeding, these microorganisms produce compounds that, well, reek.
Thus, it's not really our feet that stink. Rather, it's the bacteria living on them that need be blamed for the nasty odors, the video explains.
To try and eliminate the smells coming out of our shoes, the best we can do is wash our feet with antibacterial soap, use a pumice stone to remove dead skin and change our socks daily.
