# The lingering effects of asparagus

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lingering-effects-of-asparagus/119620>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [July 18, 2002, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lingering-effects-of-asparagus/119620 "2002-07-18T14:18:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![braintree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@braintree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/braintree)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lingering-effects-of-asparagus/119620/1 "2002-07-18T14:18:56Z")

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Side baseball anecdote for those of you who are interested:

Babe Ruth was not only the greatest baseball player up to his time, he was also one crude ba\*tard. Still, due to his huge celbrity, he was always being invited to Ritzy dinner parties. Though Ruth tried to be polite, his coarser side came out even when he was conciously trying to be civil. He was being served when his hostess asked him if he would like to have some asparagus. He didn’t want any but, trying to be polite and not wanting to cast any aspersions on the meal, thought he owed her an explanation.

“No thanks, Lady.” he said, “Asparagus makes my urine smell funny.”

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**Author:** ![braintree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@braintree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/braintree)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lingering-effects-of-asparagus/119620/2 "2002-07-18T18:11:51Z")

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Oops. In addition to spelling “celebrity” wrong and some sloppy writing, I forgot to put in the appropriate link.

[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_383.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_383.html)

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**Author:** ![jezzaOZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lingering-effects-of-asparagus/119620/3 "2002-07-21T11:19:19Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by braintree \*  
> \*\*Oops. In addition to spelling “celebrity” wrong and some sloppy writing, I forgot to put in the appropriate link.
> 
> [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_383.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_383.html) \*\*

Another one that Cecil got partially wrong.

It’s not the metabolites that smell funny that are the whole problem, it is also a fact that only a percentage of people can smell them.

All people produce the metabolites in some form, only some people can smell them.

[http://my.webmd.com/question\_and\_answer/article/1671.51089](http://my.webmd.com/question_and_answer/article/1671.51089) gives some more information.

Interestingly, Benjamin Franklin found the odour offensive. I find it quite fragrant and sweet smelling (sweet enough once to get me off to the doc to get checked up for diabetes)

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lingering-effects-of-asparagus/119620/4 "2002-07-21T16:46:33Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> All people produce the metabolites in some form, only some people can smell them.

Minor nitpick. The article to which you linked indicates that **not** all people produce the metabolites.

That is one of the problems with many of the studies done in years gone by.