Why Does Asparagus Make Your Pee Smell? | Smartest Year Ever (Mar 29, 2025)

Why does asparagus turn your bathroom break into a sulfur-scented science experiment? In today’s episode, Gordy explores the bizarre phenomenon of asparagus pee—why it happens, why some people can’t smell it, and why others can’t stop smelling it. Spoiler: it’s not your imagination. It's sulfur chemistry and genetics at work. From asparagusic acid to a strange condition called asparagus anosmia, this episode dives into a stinky subject with surprising depth—and just the right amount of disgust.

Find out:

• What chemical compound causes the smell
  

• Why some people produce the smell while others don’t
  

• Why some people literally can’t smell it, even if it’s there
  

• And why cooking methods don’t make any difference
  

Whether you're one of the lucky immune few or part of the cursed, once you learn this, you’ll never look at asparagus the same way again.

Sources: Mitchell, S. C. (2001). Food idiosyncrasies: beetroot and asparagus. British Journal of Urology International, 87(4), 322–323. Pelchat, M. L., Bykowski, C., Duke, F. F., & Reed, D. R. (2011). Examination of the human ability to smell asparagusic acid’s sulfurous metabolites. Chemical Senses, 36(1), 9–17. Lison, M., Blondheim, S. H., & Melmed, R. N. (1980). A polymorphism of the ability to smell urinary metabolites of asparagus. British Medical Journal, 281(6256), 1676–1678.

Music thanks to Zapsplat. #Asparagus #WeirdScience #Genetics #HealthFacts #DailyPodcast #FunFacts #SciencePodcast #SmellScience #Urine #SmartestYearEver