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Asparagus: What's that smell?Posted Apr 28th 2006 1:02PM by Nick VagnoniFiled under: Science, Vegetables, Did you know?Last week, Nicole gave us the lowdown on asparagus: its background, nutritional
value, and tips for buying and cooking it. Still, some of you asparagus lovers, or haters, may still be wondering, 'why
does asparagus make my urine smell funny?' There may be some of you who say that it doesn't make your urine smell funny,
and you may be right. According to an article by
WebMD dietitian Elizabeth Somer, asparagus contains a sulfuric compound called mercaptan (asparagus.org lists a few other possible chemical culprits). When your
body breaks mercaptan down into other components, the by-products create that distinctive bouquet. The same compound is
found in rotten eggs, onions, garlic (asparagus is in the lily family too), and, yes, skunks. Some studies suggest that
only certain people possess the gene necessary to break down asparagus and create the smell. Other research found that
some people actually weren't capable of detecting the odor in various urine samples. So, maybe some of you are
asparagus-proof, or maybe some of you just can't tell the difference.[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]
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