The key facts

  • In a Reddit thread, the smell of rotting potatoes found in basements and in the apartments of elderly relatives took the lead
  • As potatoes rot, they release hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia
  • Therapist Anastasia Masalova: a suddenly appearing body odor should not be ignored

What forum users named

Reddit users answered a question about the most disgusting smells, and the smell of rotting potatoes was mentioned most often — it was found in house basements or in the apartments of elderly relatives, reports Gazeta.Ru. Beyond being unpleasant, this smell can also be dangerous: as the vegetable rots, it releases toxic fumes — hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia.

Other answers and the medical context

Among the other answers were the smell of people without access to running water or medical care, and a woman's story about the smell after her cow spent about two days unable to deliver a dead calf; the following year, the cow gave birth to a healthy calf. The same article includes a comment from therapist and ultrasound physician Anastasia Masalova: according to her, unpleasant body odor after the age of 40, even with good hygiene, is in most cases linked to natural changes in the skin, hormonal balance, and lifestyle. A suddenly appearing odor, she emphasized, should not be ignored: it is worth changing clothes more often, choosing breathable fabrics, thoroughly drying the skin after showering, and observing which foods make the odor worse; if that does not help, an in-person visit to a doctor is needed.