Asparagus Makes my Pee Smelly
I tend to eat a lot of asparagus and it makes my pee smell funny. Why is this? Apparently, asparagus contains the sulfur compound mercaptan, also known as methanethiol. Some people have the gene for the enzyme that breaks down mercaptan and causes the smelly pee. If you're lucky, like me, to have the gene to break down mercaptan, then your pee will smell funny when you eat asparagus.
There's really nothing wrong with eating asparagus or the resulting smelly pee. If you use a public restroom, it may be a bit embarrassing to leave a lingering asparagus-pee smell in there. Many people may not understand the odor and think there's something severely wrong with you. You'll just have to tell these people that you ate asparagus last night....a healthy vegetable! I've also learned that some people can't smell or produce asparagus pee. They are missing the mercaptan-aware gene for the enzyme that breaks down mercaptan.
