What Causes Asparagus Pee?

Eating asparagus may cause urine to smell a little 'off,' but not everyone produces the odd odor and not everyone detects it well enough to find it offensive.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Asparagus tends to grant human urine with distinctive odor, but only in some people, unless everyone does and only some can detect it, as the ability to smell the odd odor varies between people and populations

• Asparagus metabolites can cause “a rather malodorous bouquet,” and there’s a link between the ability to smell asparagus pee and …