Sweat Is Sexy

This scientific discovery is probably going to sound the death knell for male deodorant manufacturers. Turns out those guys were actually shortchanging themselves by trying to mask their body odor. It's now official. Male armpit sex is sexy.

Research has shown that women can be turned on by just a few sniffs of a man's sweaty armpits. The scientists showed that male sweat contains a compound capable of lightening a woman's mood and heightening her sexual arousal. Androstadienone, a musky-smelling chemical, also speeds up blood pressure, heart rate and breathing and raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol. The researchers said their work provided the first direct evidence that humans - like rats, moths and butterflies - give off pheromones; scents that affect the body of the opposite sex. ( I can almost hear some gals smirking that they always knew men were rats).

Turns out, a whiff of sweat has the ability to turn a frog into a prince. In a study carried out at the University of Northumbria, a group of female students were asked to judge the attractiveness of men shown in photos. A second group of women were set the same task, but this time, unknown to them, a cloth soaked in male sweat was hidden nearby.

The women under the influence of the pheromones - released by glands including those under our arms - rated all the men as being more attractive. Those judged as being the least attractive by the first group of women showed the biggest jump in sex appeal, with the women rating them as being almost as appealing as the best-looking men.

Like all good things, however, there is a catch. It doesn't work with women who are taking the contraceptive pill. It is thought the hormones in the Pill stop women from responding as strongly to natural signals of attraction.

In other words, guys can be safe - and probably sorry; or go for broke and damn the torpedoes - and I mean torpedoes. Why is life always so complicated?