Garlic. File photo
Despite its supposedly mystic power to drive away supernatural forces, the strong scent of garlic can be off-putting for most people.
But based on recent findings of researchers from the University of Stirling in Scotland and Prague’s Charles University, the somewhat stinky spice makes men smell attractively good to women.
According to the 2016 study—which has resurfaced online recently—men who consume substantial amount of garlic are deemed more desirable by women.
The unusual experiment, as per The Telegraph, involved 42 male subjects who ate raw garlic and garlic capsules. They were also required to wear armpit pads for 12 hours to collect body odor.
After collecting the pads, 82 women were then asked to sniff the samples and rank each one based on factors including pleasantness, attractiveness, masculinity and intensity.
Surprisingly, those who consumed garlic in bulb were deemed “significantly more attractive and less intense” by the female subjects.
“Our results indicate that garlic consumption may have positive effects on perceived body odor hedonicity (the pleasure derived from it), perhaps due to its health effects, for example antioxidant properties and antimicrobial activity,” the study said, as relayed by the news outlet.
It added, “As the health benefits of garlic consumption include antioxidant, immunostimulant, cardiovascular, bactericidal and anti-cancer effects, it is plausible that human odor preferences have been shaped by sexual selection.”
Apart from its discovered allure, garlic consumption has also been linked to enhance the odor of breast milk, as infants have been recorded to feed more rigorously in mothers who consumed the spice. Khristian Ibarrola /ra