2008 Woodie Awards
Male Sweat may calm Women
Sarah Westen
Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: Sci/Tech
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According to researchers, being exposed to the smell of male sweat may make a woman feel calmer; and, this smell may be in the nose of the beholder.
According to a study by Dr. George Preti, of the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia, male sweat contains one or more chemical signaling compounds, known as pheromones, which can affect a woman's reproductive hormone levels and state of mind.
In the study, Preti and his team placed pads under the armpits of male donors to collect sweat. Then, the team put concentrated compounds extracted from the sweat, and masked by fragrance, under the noses of female volunteers, reports ABC Science Online. After six hours of exposure, women reported feeling less tense and more relaxed.
The study, published in the journal Biology of Reproduction, also measured the women's levels of luteinising hormone, or LH. The level of LH in a women's body varies with the phase of the menstrual cycle the woman is in, and increases rapidly just before ovulation. This rapid increase is called an "LH surge," and triggers ovulation by releasing the egg and beginning to prepare the female body for possible implantation. The researchers found that smelling the sweat extract induced a surge of LH in the female volunteers.
"The underarm contains physiologically active pheromones," Preti says. ABC Science Online reports Preti also took part in an earlier study investigating why women who have heterosexual sex weekly have more normal menstrual cycles of regular length than those who do not.
Dr. Charles Wysocki, another Monell Centre pheromone researcher, reported in Nature News Service that he speculates women have evolved to respond to signals that make successful reproduction more likely. Wysocki claims "the scent of a male partner might not only help trigger ovulation at the right time but may make women more relaxed and receptive to sex as well," Bob Beale from ABC Science Online reports.
Supporting this theory, a recent study published online in the journal Nature, suggests a single gene may determine how people perceive body odor.
According to a study by Dr. George Preti, of the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia, male sweat contains one or more chemical signaling compounds, known as pheromones, which can affect a woman's reproductive hormone levels and state of mind.
In the study, Preti and his team placed pads under the armpits of male donors to collect sweat. Then, the team put concentrated compounds extracted from the sweat, and masked by fragrance, under the noses of female volunteers, reports ABC Science Online. After six hours of exposure, women reported feeling less tense and more relaxed.
The study, published in the journal Biology of Reproduction, also measured the women's levels of luteinising hormone, or LH. The level of LH in a women's body varies with the phase of the menstrual cycle the woman is in, and increases rapidly just before ovulation. This rapid increase is called an "LH surge," and triggers ovulation by releasing the egg and beginning to prepare the female body for possible implantation. The researchers found that smelling the sweat extract induced a surge of LH in the female volunteers.
"The underarm contains physiologically active pheromones," Preti says. ABC Science Online reports Preti also took part in an earlier study investigating why women who have heterosexual sex weekly have more normal menstrual cycles of regular length than those who do not.
Dr. Charles Wysocki, another Monell Centre pheromone researcher, reported in Nature News Service that he speculates women have evolved to respond to signals that make successful reproduction more likely. Wysocki claims "the scent of a male partner might not only help trigger ovulation at the right time but may make women more relaxed and receptive to sex as well," Bob Beale from ABC Science Online reports.
Supporting this theory, a recent study published online in the journal Nature, suggests a single gene may determine how people perceive body odor.
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