Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Tidbits: Stinky Asparagus



Have you ever noticed that shortly after eating asparagus, the smell from your urine is odd?  That smell does not mean something bad is happening;  it’s just a substance in asparagus (thought to be methyl mercaptan) that is eliminated from your body via the urine.

Some people cannot smell an odor in their urine after eating asparagus, and scientists that study the olfactory organ (the nose) have found that there are two causes of this phenomenon. First, some people lack the receptor to detect the smell.  And second, some people don’t create the waste product that causes the smell. 

So while the scientists go round and round deciding what gene causes the difference between smellers and non-smellers (and between stink producers and non-stink producers), you can be assured that asparagus is still good for you, with only 30 calories per 1 cup, and is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K.

1 comment:

tink's mom said...

I either a non smeller or a non producer. I always wondered what people were referring to when that topic came up. Thanks for the clarification.