It's asparagus season here.

[limelynx]

It's asparagus season here. just wondering if eating asparagus makes your pee smell more than usual? It seems to make mine smell more.

 

[RestrainU4Me]

If you’re dehydrated, yes. If you’re drinking alot of water then it shouldn’t make a difference.

I used to notice a difference but now I eat asparagus so often that I think my body adjusted

 

[babywolfboy]

it does affect the smell of a lot of people's pee, but like said above being properly hydrated can help lessen the intensity of the smell!

 

[warmfeeling]

it does affect the smell of a lot of people's pee, but like said above being properly hydrated can help lessen the intensity of the smell!Always. Whenever I eat asparagus my wax smells of it

Akways. Whenever I eat asparagus my waz smells of it

 

[OnePiece]

Asparagus is a double edge sword. It taste really good, but make your pee smell equally bad.
It doesn’t help how well hydrated I am (or someone else for that matter), the pee smell awful.

 

[Edgewater]

I keep well hydrated and have never been a big consumer of asparagus and have really never noticed a change in my urine when I do eat it.

 

[RedStripeLvr]

Yes, it does for me. I love asparagus but eat it sparingly due to the strong aroma.

 

[blueberry]

Yesss!!!! I can barely stand the smell of it. It’s a dead give away that I’m wet. Wife makes me change even if it’s a new diaper lol

 

[jamiejamie]

Yup. I’m a fast metabolizer so my pee usually smells strong within the hour.

 

[Traveler]

Totally get the pee smell the first time after eating it. I also love to eat it. Stuff I never would've thought about when wearing. Can't say I've ever been wearing when I eat it but I can imagine how it must make diapers smell. *Cues music: 'The more you KNOOWWWWW"

 

[OnePiece]

I keep well hydrated and have never been a big consumer of asparagus and have really never noticed a change in my urine when I do eat it.

Apparently some people can’t smell the «asparagus pee-aroma». That doesn’t mean others can’t smell you.
I get the smelly urine within a few minutes and just a few drops totally destroy a diaper.

 

[Cottontail]

My hydration level doesn't seem to matter. Asparagus always gives my urine a very strong, very unpleasant odor. As a discretionary diaper-wearer, I have the luxury of avoiding diapers when my urine smells like that, and I usually do. If I was in wearing 24/7, I think I'd pick a different veggie! (I do love asparagus though.)

 

[Mapboy]

I’ve never had the smelly pee because of asparagus and I regularly eat asparagus. I think it might be a lot of other factors that affect this.

 

[Lilah]

No matter how hydrated I am, asparagus still makes my pee smell really bad. I used to eat asparagus sparingly, but since losing bladder control and using diapers 24/7 I cut it out altogether because I can’t stand my own stink.

 

[greatlake5]

I try to hydrate. Anyone who is incontinent, wearing a diaper means you'll end with wet ones. I don't eat asparagus everyday. I do love them. I can tell within a half hour the odor is obvious. I don't really think the smell is that bad. Maybe a little pungent. Even when I use chlorophyll (daily) I know my diaper can smell. I just don't eat them when I'm in a restaurant.

 

[PadPhilosopher]

It does, and I can smell it, and I don't mind, and I live alone, so no one else gives me any commentary on it. If it were otherwise, I'd adjust accordingly.

 

[Zeke]

When I was a kid asparagus often suffered the same fate as rhubarb getting regular “irrigation” from the neighborhood male dogs lifting their leg on these poor plants. So this would be just the opposite of asparagus making your urine smell as this would be urine making your asparagus (and rhubarb) smell!

 

[ElPulpo]

There are people whose urine has a special strong smell after eating asparagus, and others whose doesn't.
And there are also people who are able to notice that smell and others who aren't.

Apparently, there are two different genes that play a role, although the exact genes responsible for producing the smell aren't established yet.

One gene (or group of genes) is necessary to produce enzymes that metabolizes asparagusic acid into various thioesters (sulfur-containing compounds) such as methanethiol, dimethyl sulphide, S-methyl thioacrylate and S-methyl 3-(methylthio)thiopropionate - the stinky stuff. Some people cannot break down the odorless aspargusic acid, which then is excrected unchanged.

The other gene belongs to the olfactory receptor 2 family and is necessary to detect the thioesters. Those who lack that specific olfactory receptor just won't notice the smell even when it's there.

Obviously both genes are not stricly necessary for survival, so it's rather random whether you got them or not. Depending on sources, between 50% (UK) and 90% (US) of the population produce the smell, and between 10% (Israel) and 40% (US) can detect it.

Either way, since it's genetic, there's nothing you can do to entirely force or prevent the smell, the only way to reduce the smell is to dilute it - or abstain from eating asparagus.

Sources:
Occurrence of S-methyl thioesters in urines of humans after they have eaten asparagus
The chemical nature of the urinary odour produced by man after asparagus ingestion
Sniffing out significant “Pee values”: genome wide association study of asparagus anosmia
Why does asparagus make our urine smell?