stories : Nagging Question
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UrinalysisThe lowdown on asparagus pee |
Does everybody’s pee smell after they eat asparagus?
This question has baffled scientists for over half a century. In 1956, British researchers divided the population into two categories: excretors (those whose urine smells after they eat asparagus) and nonexcretors (asparagus eaters who remain odor free). Since there’s no documentation of the asparagus-pee phenomenon before the 1700s, about the time farmers began using sulfur to fertilize soil, this and subsequent studies hypothesized that a particular gene allows people to process a sulfur-containing compound in asparagus (most likely asparagusic acid). The theory was that if you have that gene, your pee won’t stink. However, they were relying on the test subjects’ own reports and weren’t considering the subjects’ ability to smell.
In 1980, Israeli researchers performed a similar experiment but asked the nonexcretors to smell the excretors’ urine. Shockingly, they found that everyone’s urine smells after eating asparagus; it’s just that some people can’t smell it. So they, too, divided the world into two camps: perceivers and nonperceivers.
I wouldn't have willingly participated in that experiment, but according to Israeli researchers, I am a perceiver, as is my mother. My father, brother and sister, however, are not. wtf?
Please do not post stuff about pee on a food website.
FINALLY someone answered the question. Thank you!
Actually my Girlfriend say something else has a distinct different flavor after I eat asparagus.
Has anyone ever done research on that?
Don't you mean peeceivers and non-peerceivers?
I thought this was going to be an interesting article... but there was no resolution! I really wanted to know .
Also, can people please keep their gross comments to themselves?
I agree, some comments we should keep to ones self. But, I also thought the article was OK!
useless article. thanks cnet
I do not want to tell you about the first time I had beets, I almost drove myself to the ER.
I think stinky pee is a very small price to pay for the delight that is asparagus. And, um, let's just say the same goes for beets...more or less...
This was a really funny thing to research. The ratio of excretors, nonexcretors, perceivers, and nonperceivers varies by culture, among other things. A French study found that 100% of the subjects (all native French, I believe) were excretors. If there is some gene that makes one a perceiver or nonperceiver, its the first instance found of a particular smell sensitivity. There have been plenty of studies on the beet phenomenon, too.
I think everyone's pee does smell after eating asparagus - but not everyone can smell the smell.
Why does my head hurt after reading ridiculous articles on odorous urine on a FOOD website. How about an article on that?
I used to work in a blood bank.
You can smell asparagus in the blood - also tobacco smoke.
Normalheightsfoodie, I nearly had the same reaction after eating beets. Thing is, I forgot I had eaten beets, because I had had Terra Chips Sweets & Beets (delicious, by the way), and since that is more of a "potato chip" experience had forgotten that they were actually beet chips. I thought I was dying...but painlessly.
I am so glad to hear I am not the only person to have scared the crap (no pun intended) out of myself after eating a plate of beets!
It was all I ate for dinner one day and honestly was terrified until I figured out what was going on.
Another curious thing about the asparagus phenomenon, and I guess this might vary person to person, is the surprisingly quick transit time for that to happen. Ten minutes or so.
Interesting. For those who complained about the content of this piece, it was pretty clear from the title what the article was about. You didn't have to read it.
Besides, we're all adults, here. And, it's NOT off the topic of food.
Thanks for the beet warning, folks.
Who takes the time to stop and SMELL pee? My goal is to take care of waste disposal, clean my hands, and leave. I don't stand around taking smell samples.
Dear everybody who has participated in this conversation so far:
Thank you!!! I have been going through a very stressful time in relation to my employment, and reading this article and the series of postings caused me to let loose and laugh. I suppose you could say I relieved myself of a heavy burden for a while.
An oft quoted line by baseball great Babe Ruth: when offered chilled asparagus at a society function, he said "No thank you, ma'am. It makes my piss stink."
was that actually answering the question? we still don't know why pee smells funny after eating asparagus...
same for me about the beets. i had beet juice during a cleanse, and i thought something went terribly wrong and i was going to die.
Lonedreamer- it's not like we stick our nose in the bowl after we're done! You can just smell it in the air after you do your business- sheesh!
It is a valid food point. In gastronomy class we talked about this at culinary school, and well, that has to do with food...
I think even though this is a Pee comment on a food website, it is entirely appropriate. Many fine diners enjoy asparagus, and thus experience asparagus pee. It has been my experience that this conversation comes up over business conversations at a fine dining table as well, and this little quip will be fun to share next time. Thanks for the input.
Anybody notice the result of grape snowcones?
I did not grow up eating asparagus. After I moved out on my own, I bought and enjoyed fresh asparagus! It took me a while to make the connection to the very strong, and unavoidable odor. I nearly went to the doctor! So it's good to talk about it. Now I notice a reaction in as little as 10 minutes from eating asparagus. And a chuckle now and then is good too.
That is sooo funny because we have even noticed that our dogs pee is very strong smelling after asparagus (yes we do feed them scraps and my children will only eat the tops!).
From www.asparagus.org:
Why does my urine smell funny after consuming asparagus?
Most authorities feel that the compound that causes the odor in urine after consumption of asparagus is methylmercaptan, which is a sulfur-containing derivative of the amino acid, methionine. This is disputed by a few individuals who claim that the odiferous compound is asparagine-amino-succinic-acid monoamide, which is derived from the amino acid, asparagine. In either case, the product is formed as a derivative during the digestion and subsequent breakdown of beneficial amino acids that occur naturally in asparagus.
Ref: Merck Index, 862; Food Chemistry, Belitz and Grosch, pg. 271
And while Mission's comment about other bodily fluids is rather gross, it's not inaccurate.
Thanks for that explanation!