E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Shannon Dininny / AP
Tasty asparagus can have the surprising effect of leaving a distinct aroma in the urine of an unwary diner. Scientists have spent years figuring out why that's so.
Many of you -- maybe three-quarters of our readers here -- are about to learn a small bathroom secret that the rest of us rarely, if ever, mention.
Sometimes our pee smells funny.
Specifically, after eating asparagus, about one in five people detects a distinct scent in their urine that, depending on the person, carries a pungent bouquet that’s been compared to a vegetable garden, sulfur, cabbage soup -- or simply cooked asparagus.
Some folks don’t speak of it, possibly thinking they are utterly alone in this weird wing of the whiz world. (They are not).
Some folks, like 38-year-old Kathleen Lisson of Troy, N.Y., are bold enough to openly share their asparagus pee play-by-play.
“I smell asparagus in my urine after eating asparagus, especially freshly grilled asparagus,” says Lisson, an event planner. “I had always just assumed it was because my body did not digest the chemical compound that gives asparagus its smell. I always smile and giggle a little bit when I visit the restroom a few hours after eating asparagus. The smell reminds me to not take life so seriously.”
Lisson is correct about chemicals causing the aromatic effect. In 1975, California chemist R.H. White used a lab process called gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze urine supplied by 115 people after asparagus consumption. White learned that when humans digest 100 grams of the vegetable, their urine soon contains 2 milligrams to 5 milligrams of two specific chemical compounds (S-methyl thioacrylate and S-methyl 3-thiopropionate) and these “appear to be the odor-causing compounds.” His findings later were published in Science magazine.
The social consequences of the asparagus aroma can be funny, as Alyssa Phillips, an Atlanta physician's assistant with a degree in nutrition recalls. When she and her husband, Neil, were first dating, she made him fresh asparagus for dinner. After the meal, he headed for the bathroom -- and then emerged asking if Phillips was feeling OK.
"When he peed and smelled the foul odor, he assumed his sweet, new girlfriend might have passed something along," says Phillips.
That “hilarious conversation,” along with Phillips’ passion for nutrition, caused her, she says, to further research the phenomenon. Phillips learned that “all humans appear to produce the smelly compound, but only some humans -- 22 percent -- have the ability to detect the smell.”
Indeed, a 1994 book titled “The RE/Search Guide to Bodily Fluids,” by Paul Spinrad, cites that 22 percent stat and reports that it was calculated through a survey of asparagus eaters.
Now it's official: the other 78 percent of you are privy to our private pee party.
Scientists also theorize that we who notice the aroma carry a little something extra in our DNA that boosts our sense of that scent. The rest of you, well, let’s just call you smell-blind.
“We believe that the mystery behind asparagus detection in urine is genetic,” says Dr. Walter Gaman, a family practice physician and a partner at Executive Medicine of Texas, a clinic northwest of Dallas.
And before you write this topic off as simply more yellow journalism, be aware that asparagus pee colored several pages of one of the greatest works of modern literature: “Love in the Time of Cholera,” by Gabriel García Márquez.
As the author wrote in one passage: “Even when it was not the season for asparagus, it had to be found regardless of cost so that he could take pleasure in the vapors of his own fragrant urine.”
Clearly, García Márquez is part of the 22 percent club.
More from The Body Odd:
TODAY's Sara Haines shows off a collection of hilarious photos submitted by viewers across the country that will make you look twice when you see them.
Want more weird health news? Find The Body Odd on Facebook.
Leave a Comment:
There are actually two genes, one that produces the smell and another that allows you to smell it. Judging from the survey I believe it's more than 22%
Either more than 22%, or maybe people who can smell it are more inclined to read an article about why you can smell it?
What I can't figure out is why it surprises me every time. I can have pasta primavera with just a little asparagus mixed in for dinner, and then when I go to the bathroom before bed I always freak out for a second before I remember that, oh, yeah, I had some asparagus...
After eating asparagus yesterday, this article couldn't come at a better time. Personally, I notice the foul stench minutes after eating the stuff if I get up to go right away. I wasn't aware that some people just can't smell it even if they are around it. Excusing the smell, asparagus is one of the best veggies on the planet. I could eat it every day if it weren't for the powerful results after consumption.
I've had this for years. At first I did not associate it with asparagus rather thought it was a bladder infection. Since I rarely ate asparagus I did not put two and two together. I once mentioned it to my doctor who appeared mildly interested but could not provide any answers. I've always thought the smell resembled a chemical/pharmaceutical odour. Interesting to learn that most people cannot smell their urine. Does this also apply to normal urine odour? I am also sensitive to other odours and needed oxygen in Las Vegas after exposure to whatever agent is used in the hotel/casino's to mask cigarette smoke.
BTW....ancient Egyptians regarded the asparagus urine odour as regal.
First article I've ever seen on this topic. One more question answered.
I just assumed everyone could smell it. I grow the purple variety, it's much larger, sweeter, asparagus beetles don't bother it, and the pee smell is almost non existent.
I honestly thought this was far more common (and the poll seems to support that). Ages ago, Billy Crystal made a movie where he plays a man who gets pregnant, and Joan Rivers, playing a nurse in the obstetrician's office gathering urine samples, made a crack something like, "OK, who had the asparagus?" Why make a joke about something not common...unless it really is?
Only 22%?? That seems kinda low. Myself, my husband and EVERYBODY I know has this when we eat asparagus. Its a running joke during BBQs and get-togethers.
This is old news. It's why you're not supposed to eat asparagus or drink coffee while at the same time, you should eat pineapple. That is, if your goal is to have your bodily fluids taste better for your partner.
This is why I don't date women who drink coffee. And anyone experienced in giving oral pleasure will tell you that Asian women taste the best. It's because of the difference in diet.
Um..a little TMI vglance?
Is this article for real?
Huh. I always assumed everyone could smell it. =/
Thank god, I can now celebrate the 4th of July with 1 less nagging question on my mind.
I'm amazed that this is news...! Certain foods, med's, etc. can be detected in the smell of urine. This is common knowledge, right? Geezz..
I wonder how much grant money went to the chemists and scientist to study the odor of asparagus pee. Do you think knowing asparagus can make pee stink, will make a huge difference in the health and quality of peoples lives?!
Well marmee, maybe not this study in particular, but it ties in with other studies. Urine color and composition can tell a lot about your health and potential diseases, such as problems with the kidney. Scientists may want to know why we make the odor or why we can't digest certain parts of it..
I am one of the people that can't smell it. Although curious, I'm glad I don't have to.
What? No study on the effects of fish on urine? Oh, maybe that will be for another news day.
I think that the people who focus on the smell of their own urine
or find it odd enough to cause laughter or angst
are those same people who pass gas in the bath tub & then pop the bubbles
and say oooowwe that stinks !
you victimize yourself so that you have something "meaningful" to discuss with those who tolerate you .
I suppose next we'll have to read a public dissertation on the incomplete digestion of corn.....
One piece of asparagus does it for me. Guess I'm just extra special. 8<D
I may not be a one percenter, but at least I'm a 22 percenter. Actually I agree with the survey - just about everyone with whom I have discussed this subject (and I bring it up frequently at dinner parties) confirms the effect.
I'm amazed at how quickly the asparagus smell appears in my pee - sometimes only 5-10 minutes after eating the asparagus.
Who cares????? GOOD GAWD!!!!
Yeah! Who cares? Certainly not someone who took the time to comment on it!
looking at the current poll results it seems that 97% of respondents are among the 22%. odd, that.
And another startling statistic-my farts smell after eating beans...Am I the only one?
Bean farts also pack a lot more heat!
Deviled eggs!
Just spell PIG backwards and say "funny"!
My farts smell like roses.
Why do Farts Stink? So Deaf People can Enjoy them too.
My children love asparagus for this very reason. Once I informed them that it can make urine smell funny... they were hooked.
I can smell coffee in my pee if I drink A lot in the morning.
Haha...after a pot or two, it seems my urine smells almost exactly like a fresh bowl of corn flakes....I guess that's one of the reasons I haven't had cereal in about a decade.
Bobby...
that condition is known as
CORNFUSED PEE.....
as opposed to the COFFEE drinkers problem
which is called Java Stench or Folger Fart ...
...just sayin....
I have all the above afflictions. LOL!!!!!
its the sole reason i eat asparagus!
Yep. Happens to me. Does this make us special?
Mine's so pungent that although I love grilled asparagus, I only eat a small amount because I do not like the smell of my urine after eating it. I certainly do not fall in the category of eating more just so I can smell that!
So, maybe I was one of the few that got that scene in Austin Powers. For some reason I thought everyone smelled that.
And asparagus isn't the only thing I can smell. One of them is Super Sugar Crisps, Honey Crisps or Golden Crisps, or whatever they call it now.
I thought I was perhaps the only one with the sugar smacks being noticed in urine. I see I am not the only one. I also notice that most people can smell the Asparagus urine odor. That 22% value is false, and not even close to accurate.
Sorry, this is the second time MSNBC has had an article on this. My husband, kids, all our friends comment when we have asparagus "now my pee will smell funny". I had an aunt who refused to eat it because of this. I just don't get it!!! Who stays around in the bathroom long enough to see if your pee smells???? I pee, flush, wash my hands, I'm out of there!! If my pee smells, I really don't know. I don't notice much difference, so either I'm one of those that doesn't have the reaction, or one that doesn't smell it, but can we move on please????
You can smell it while you're peeing. It is pretty strong and hard to not notice. Really though, if you didn't want to read about it, why did you read about it?
Didn't read, just skipped to the comments, assuming there was nothing new from the first article I read months ago.
How REFRESHING !!
A PACKER FAN that actually possess a pound of common sense !!
Talk about genetic rarities !
(let me guess... a transplanted Mini-Soda native...?)
I would think that if you don't smell it before you flush, you will never be able to... it's not like we sniff the toliet bowl!
Some other dark veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts) will have the same effect, although to a lesser degree. I'm amazed that the effect may be less widespread. I thought this was a common reaction to asparagus.
The Asparagus effect is sort of related to how Vitamin B supplements will make one's pee much more yellow than normal.
I think this one should be filed under TMI...
There's no such thing as TMI. If you take life so seriously that you can't laugh about dumb stuff like this, then you probably have a pretty boring and lame life.