(Photo by Unsplash+ in collaboration with Monika Grabkowska)
You might have noticed that after eating asparagus, your pee has a stronger scent that comes off as pretty unpleasant. While it doesn’t happen to everyone, it is still common. In fact, it’s so common that it even has a name: “asparagus pee.”
The veggie has a sulfur-containing compound that appears to only be found in it called asparagusic acid. Researchers aren’t quite sure of its purpose or why it’s in asparagus. They do now that while it’s nontoxic, it does seem to be the reason why your urine smells like rotten cabbage after eating it. After your body metabolizes asparagusic acid, it generates different sulfurous byproducts that vaporize easily. When you go to pee, the compounds evaporate almost instantly, and the smell hits you right then and there.
It’s believed that there is a significant genetic component to this that affects whether or not a person actually smells the odor or not. Some researchers argue that everyone produces the smell, but not everyone can actually tell it’s there. Scientists are still trying to better understand how that all works, but just know that if you’re able to smell the rankness, you won’t miss it!
Many people notice it during the bathroom trip after eating asparagus, even as early as 15-30 minutes afterward. This suggests that the smell can appear quickly. Some studies also show that the smell can last for several hours, but many times people only notice it strongly at the first pee after.
You might be wondering if it’s harmful to eat asparagus if this happens. The good news is that this isn’t the case at all! Just because eating it can produce this odor, it doesn’t mean that asparagus itself is bad for you or doing something detrimental to your body. Like other green veggies, asparagus is rich in antioxidants, fiber, and various vitamins and minerals like folate, vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C. That said, if you don’t want to eat asparagus because of the rotten smell it causes for you, that’s fine too. Not everyone wants to have smelly urine simply because they ate a veggie.
There are countless other options that you can go for instead that provide the same nutrients. Asparagus doesn’t absolutely need to be on your plate. As a dietitian, I eat it because I like it and since I know there are valuable nutrients in it, but I definitely limit the frequency!
