What is the role of sex in smelling asparagus pee? The harmless odor is caused by a breakdown of asparagusic acid. When these build up in your blood, a compound called abranched-chain alpha-keto acid shows up in your urine and makes it, along with your earwax, smell like maple syrup. Washing inside of it could upset the balance of good and bad bacteria. Sarah Coseo Markt receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. Some women on Reddit have reported the smell going away after a while, while others said it persisted. Here are 7 tips for how to get into ketosis. During the metabolism of asparagus, sulfur compounds in the asparagus are eliminated from the body through urine, which results in the pungent smell of urine. I have to think happy thoughts during squats," another woman posted on Reddit. Onewarning sign of diabetes or high blood sugar is urine that smells sweet or fruity. Odd smells along with feeling sick, pain, orbloody urine are a sign you should see your doctor. The rest are unaware of the smell. Dr. Ellerkmann has described it as smelling like maple syrup, burned sugar, or malt. I'm eating leafy greens. This one's also a rare genetic disorder, but for those afflicted, the odor can also impact breath and sweat, according to Dr. Ellerkmann, so it's hard to get away from. It happens when your body cant break down trimethylamine. UPDATE: For everyone saying asparagus, I just checked my food diary and I last ate asparagus on October 13th. "One type of ketone, acetone, is an ingredient in some nail polish removers, which is why your breath may smell like this familiar scent," said Cynthia Sass, RD, Health contributing nutrition editor. Pee Smell It comes with a whole slew of pretty gnarly side effects like the keto flu, keto breath, and keto diarrhea. Your food, vitamins, and medications are the most common cause of a badurine smell. Webketo crotch and the office. Vitamins dissolve either in fat or water before they are absorbed by your body. Find out the diseases you can prevent just by washing your hands. Want lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? The 18th century French botanist Louis Lmery wrote that asparagus causes "a filthy and disagreeable smell in the urine, as everybody knows." Regardless of whether you prefer the green, purple or white variety, asparagus provides a rich source of vitamins and minerals, and its consumption as part of a healthy diet may reduce risk of cancer and cardiovascular-related diseases. You may start producing smelly urine to the earliest as 15 minutes after eating asparagus, and the effects may last up to 14 hours. Asparagus consumption provides a distinct odor to urine. That's also why your pee becomes dark and bad-smelling, she adds, because as your body gets dehydrated from drinking too much coffee, the bacteria become more concentrated in your waste. If you have kidney failure, you may smell a lot of ammonia when you go to the bathroom. The use of acetone breath analyzers has been shown to be fairly accurate, though less accurate than the blood monitor method (10). How Do You Know If You Have A Hormonal Belly? All rights reserved. Ah, the keto diet. This article, Breakfast cereals boast impressive health claims, but many are high in sugar and refined carbs. The sweet smell is from ketonuria, or a buildup of ketones. The quick evaporation of those asparagus metabolites when peeing causes your urine to have a sulfurous odor, like rotten eggs or cooked cabbage. According to data, 40 percent of subjects firmly believed that they could detect a distinct odor in their urine after eating asparagus, whereas 60 percent could not and were labeled asparagus anosmic. Women's Health may earn commission from the links on this page, but we only feature products we believe in. Ketogenic diets have many powerful health benefits, but some people have trouble getting into ketosis. Yep, some people online (shout-out to the Reddit page .css-7qz8rz{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#f7623b;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #feebe7 50%, #feebe7);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-7qz8rz:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}r/xxketo!) They can stop or slow urine flow, leading to a buildup of salt and ammonia. If you notice it's a common occurrence, definitely see your doctor. Yet, science does show that going keto can change the odor of your breath and urine, making both smell like nail polish remover. If you swear that you've never smelled what's colloquially known as asparagus pee, it is because you lack the ability to recognize the stench. You may need to take antibiotics to get better. One small yet famous study found that athletes who had switched to a keto diet burned as much as 230% more fat when they exercised compared to athletes who werent following this diet (23). It monitors acetone, one of the three main ketones in your blood during ketosis (3). Certainurine smells can be a sign of some conditions, but your doctor might not consider that to be the case unless you have other symptoms. As Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1781, A few stems of asparagus eaten, shall give our urine a disagreable odour.. Urine normally has a slight smell, but some unusual and strong smells may also be noticed. Foods That Aren't as Healthy as You Think. There are rare conditions that create a rotten smell, too. Yes, volunteers sniffed samples of other peoples asparagus pee. Some stones are made from cystine, a substance with sulfur in it. Does a Healthy Penis Smell BadAnd What About Semen? If you need to go, let it flow. MedTerms medical dictionary is the medical terminology for MedicineNet.com. Urine Trouble If You Eat Asparagus | IU Health Press J to jump to the feed. One of the hallmarks of a keto diet is a reduction in blood sugar levels and an increase in ketones. It can also cause stomach pain, throwing up, and feeling sick. The most common ones that can be experienced for up to two years after following the keto diet, according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), include: These short-term symptoms usually go away within a few days or weeks. However, theyre not considered very reliable. Like any other body part, your vagina needs to be kept clean. But it doesnt represent a risky infection because its just bacteria that flourishes in the urine and then disappears. If you experience other symptoms like a burning sensation while peeing or a fever, see a doctor. When asparagus is digested, asparagusic acid gets broken down into sulfur containing byproducts. The rest are unaware of the smell. Asparagus is the perfect springtime vegetable. The truth is, going on a high-fat, low-carb diet can be a little rough on your body at first. Morning sickness may leave you dehydrated. One is that some people simply dont produce the smell. Some of these issues should subside after the transition period, but it may be important to be mindful of different foods that may be causing digestive issues. Vaginal odor can be caused by these other factors as well: If changes in vaginal odor are accompanied by itching, burning, redness, or swelling, you'll want to see your healthcare provider to nail down the exact cause. When they follow up verbally--it will be verbal response--reply all on the same email chain and thank them for stopping by to confirm XYZ. Your genes affect whether you can smell these sulfur byproducts. During the first few months there was some extra smell stuff happening all over - crotch and otherwise. When followed correctly, this low carb, high fat diet will raise your blood levels of ketones. There are also long-term effects of a keto diet. When your ketone levels are elevated, youre considered to be in ketosis. Metabolites: Quantitative Determination of Common Urinary Odorants and Their Glucuronide Conjugates in Human Urine., Indiana University Health: Urine Trouble If You Eat Asparagus., UnityPoint Health: What Causes Urine to Smell Bad?, CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology: Crowdsourced Asparagus Urinary Odor Population Kinetics., BMJ: Sniffing out significant Pee values: genome wide association of asparagus anosmia., Yale Medicine: 5 Ways You Could Pee Better., Family Practice: Accuracy of urinary symptoms and urine microscopy in diagnosing urinary tract infection in women., CDC: Urinary Tract Infection, Chlamydia: Treatment and Care., Kidney Health (Australia): Fact Sheet: Kidney Stones.. Theres no need to erase your vaginas natural odor. 2. A healthy vaginal pH is acidicbetween 3.8 and 4.5and foods like onions, garlic, red meat, dairy, asparagus, broccoli, alcohol, and fruit can all affect the natural balance youve got going on, Mary Rosser, MD, PhD, ob-gyn at Montefiore Medical Center in New York previously told Women's Health. But theres no particular reason the keto diet would cause you to break out only around your crotchat least, none that the scientific community has found a direct link to, says Christine Greves, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies. Here's what the keto flu is, why it happens. Your urine might smell funky if it hangs out in your bladder for a while. Coffee contains caffeol, the fragrant oil you smell after it's brewed, which you smell again when you pee it out, especially if you've downed a lot of it. If asparagus is on the menu, it may rear its ugly smell as early as a mid-meal bathroom break. Since women are generally better able to detect smells, its possible some women were either too polite to mention the smell or didnt pick up on it due to their position while peeing. Does Tiger urine smell like popcorn? The main downside of this test method is that it requires pricking your finger to draw blood. As you pee, these aspargusic acid-turned sulfur byproducts evaporate almost immediately, causing you to smell that distinctive asparagus pee scent. It doesnt mean youre unhealthy. Studies report that 22 to 50 percent of the population have smelly urine following consumption of asparagus. What Is Keto Crotch? - Health The vegetable is still healthy and a good part of your diet, says Dr. Brant. That's the odor you'll notice as the chemical leaves your body. The good news is that these vitamin-induced urine smells are harmless, so you can keep taking your daily vitamin supplements. Your body needs water to dilute waste products in your urine. Some antibiotics are made from mold and can make your urine smell yeasty. It goes from being mild and lovely to being forceful and pretty terrible. Another way to measure blood ketone levels is a breath analyzer. Kidney stones. When you enter a state of ketosis, usually by purposely forgoing almost all carbs and going on a keto diet, your body releases ketones as it burns fat for fuel. So while plenty of people are sure the keto diet is the cause of their odorous vagina, no science yet supports this. The Ketogenic Diet is a low carbohydrate method of eating. Anyone eating asparagus has the potential to produce pungent-smelling urine. A lot of people report insomnia or waking up at night when they first reduce their carbs drastically. The inability to smell this asparagus pee is an example of. I'm diabetic and thinking about starting keto again but I smelled sooooo bad. Thank you", This! These include: Vitamins. There are 3 types of tyrosinemia, which cause problems breaking down theamino acid tyrosine. It is a normal phenomenon and is not related to the overall health of the individual. That can lead to infections and discharge, which can smell bad when you pee. All rights reserved. ", On a separate thread, another user slash keto dieter wondered: "Does anyone else's lady bits smell different too? Asparagus is a big culprit for smelly urine; in fact, your pee can start smelling like asparagus just 20 minutes after you eat it. Its crunchy yet tender and can be used in everything from salads and soups to pasta dishes. Go see your doctor right away. This is great for weight loss, but not so great for your body odor. This gives you an idea of your bodys ketone levels since more acetone leaves the body when youre in nutritional ketosis (9). Unfortunately no, according to Smith. In this condition, your body cant break down acompound called trimethylamine. This may be water weight, but fat loss may soon follow. You know what your pee should smell like -- you experience it anywhere from six to eight times a day -- so an unfamiliar scent might be a sign that something is awry; a warning message flowing from your body to the toilet. All rights reserved. You end up getting rid of the compound through your pee, sweat, breath, and other fluids. Her areas of expertise include fibroids, irregular vaginal bleeding, abnormal pap smears, infertility and menopause. There are many fast food options available that are low in carbs. This includes an initial decrease in exercise performance. If anything, it's something to be aware of if you notice a change in pee smell with no other explanation. Helping people with diabetes, epilepsy, autoimmune disorders, acid reflux, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and a number of other issues, every day. Onions make you cry, and they also make your urine stinky. Your urine can get super concentrated and take on a pungent urine smell similar to ammonia if you dont drink the recommended seven to eight glasses of water a day. That distinctive springtime smell: Asparagus pee - The Conversation "Too much coffee will make your urine concentrated, and hence will impart a foul odor to your urine," internist Dr. Aditi Gupta, head of the doctor's panel at JustDoc, says.