Q&A: Why Does Asparagus Make My Pee Smell?

No, you're not the only one.

May 9, 2014

The question: I love asparagus, but every time I eat it, my urine reeks afterward. What gives?

The expert: Ketul Shah, M.D., assistant professor of urology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center


The answer: The scent you're smelling—the trademark fragrance of asparagus noshers everywhere—comes from a little something called asparagusic acid.

By itself, the acid doesn't smell. Once you eat it, though, enzymes in your body break the acid down into a slew of sulfur-containing compounds, says Shah. And sulfur—which is also found in garlic and skunk spray—can stink up the place. Just ask the girl in the stall next to you.

It's really no big deal, though. After all, anywhere from 60 to 80 percent of people who eat asparagus know your olfactory pain, he says. For most people, the smell starts 15 to 30 minutes after their first bite and lasts for a few hours. The rest of people don't seem to produce the smell. It could be a matter of their bodies' digestive enzymes, but some experts believe that they do still produce the scent and just have a poor sense of smell.

Either way, if you're really torn up about the stench, there is one thing you can do something about it: Drink more water. While it won't get rid of the smell, it will dilute it, says Shah.

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