Why does pee smell after eating asparagus? The reason revealed!

Asparagus is a panacea for our health: they can be prepared in a thousand different ways, but be careful of the bad smell of pee

With the arrival of spring our table is enriched with fruit and vegetables which contain precious substances for our body. The nutrients in fresh foods help fight tiredness, allergies and ailments typical of the season. The asparagus they are among the most loved vegetables of the period and with their versatility they can be prepared in many variations. In nature we find different species, each with different colouration, size and organoleptic characteristics.

They have a peculiarity: they do stink our urine. This is due to the sulphurous components within their plant fibres. They are excellent drainers and purify venous and lymphatic circulation and fight free radicals. They promote glucose metabolism and are allied against cellular aging.

The molecules containing sulfur present in asparagus cause the typical smell of urine after eating them. During digestion, these molecules turn into volatile compounds such as methanethiol and dimethylsulfide, which end up in the urine and cause odor.

A study on Chemical Senses provided a list of all the molecules responsible for the bad smell of asparagus. Some people cannot perceive this odor due to a genetic mutation that leads to the absence of a olfactory receptor. Some individuals may not even produce the odorous substances or produce them in concentrations that are too low to be perceived.

Research published in PlosGenetics demonstrated the scientific elements that led to some conclusions. We can therefore group people into four categories based on their ability to produce and perceive odor: odor “producers” and odor “perceivers”; “Producers” of odor and “non-perceivers” of odor; “Non-producers” of odor and “perceivers” of odor; “Non-producers” of odor and “non-perceivers” of odor.