Women attracted to men's underarm sweat: Study

Agencies Posted: Jun 05, 2008 at 1429 hrs
Melbourne, June 5: Forget deodrants. The scent of sex is in your armpit sweat, for a study has found that women are attracted to chemicals in a man's underarm smell that can make her decide if you are the one for her.

In fact, underarm sweat contains a complex compound of odourless pheromones that have a powerful subconscious effect on females, according to researchers at Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia.

In their study, the researchers found that the exposure to the pheromone from the male armpit accelerated the release of the luteinizing hormone which controls menstruation in women, the news.com.au reported.

Even the female test subjects admitted that they felt increasingly relaxed as they sniffed the hormone. As mentioned -- it's odourless.

According to the researchers, the finding may one day lead to the development of new fertility drugs. They have also speculated that men's fragrances can contain male pheromones, which would presumably be irresistible to any woman.

There's also evidence to suggest that pheromones discourage inbreeding, through part of the human genome called the major histocompatibility complex that plays a role in sexual attraction as well as combating disease.