# Why does asparagus make pee extra stinky? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-pee-extra-stinky/173010 "2003-05-04T13:36:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![regnad\_kcin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@regnad\_kcin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regnad_kcin)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-pee-extra-stinky/173010/1 "2003-05-04T13:36:15Z")
Why does apsaragus make pee extra stinky? My girlfriend, who is Japanese, tells me she never noticed the stinky pee/asparagus connection until she came to the US. Is Asian asparagus different? ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-pee-extra-stinky/173010/2 "2003-05-04T13:42:55Z")
[The Master speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_383.html) ---
**Author:** ![Phage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Phage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phage)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-pee-extra-stinky/173010/3 "2003-05-04T14:06:53Z")
…because of the extra helpings of EVIL! ---
**Author:** ![regnad\_kcin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@regnad\_kcin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regnad_kcin)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-pee-extra-stinky/173010/4 "2003-05-04T17:04:29Z")
Are there any Asians here who have noticed asparagal pee aroma enhancement upon emmegration to the US? ---
**Author:** ![Rhino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a5b964/32.png) [@Rhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhino)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-pee-extra-stinky/173010/5 "2003-05-04T20:25:36Z")
I would not term the smell I get as “stinky” ,–just unique and a bit pungent. To my surprise I read somewhere that this unique odor does not happen to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-pee-extra-stinky/173010/6 "2003-05-05T02:17:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rhino \* > To my surprise I read somewhere that this unique odor > does not happen to everyone. I recall reading an article that said that in fact asparagus affects the smell of all people’s urine, but some lack the ability to detect the change in smell. (but, alas, I don’t have the cite.) ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-pee-extra-stinky/173010/7 "2003-05-05T02:22:49Z")
A Google search turned up a number of articles. The consensus seems to be that not everone’s urine changes, and not everyone can smell the change if/when it happens. [GIYF - Google is your friend] ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-pee-extra-stinky/173010/8 "2003-05-05T03:20:08Z")
Don’t normally eat that much that asparagus to notice a difference, but coffee works for me! It doesn’t smell much like coffee, but it is definitely noticable. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-pee-extra-stinky/173010/9 "2003-05-05T03:53:38Z")
Tuna changes the smell of my urine. Also – For about a day after I eat maple syrup I can smell it in on my skin. I guess that means the scent is in my perspiration, even the normal ‘evaporates before you see it’ type.