{"id":489,"date":"2009-06-05T12:23:02","date_gmt":"2009-06-05T12:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/freshliving\/2009\/06\/asparagus-a-doctors-perspective.html"},"modified":"2009-06-05T12:23:02","modified_gmt":"2009-06-05T12:23:02","slug":"asparagus-a-doctors-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/2009\/06\/asparagus-a-doctors-perspective.html","title":{"rendered":"Asparagus: A Doctor’s Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"asparagus_2.jpg\"<\/a><\/span>Last Foodie Friday, when I posted a possible explanation for why asparagus makes our wee-wee smell funny<\/a>, many of you wanted more information.  So I did what anyone should do when they’re asked a health question they’re not qualified to answer–I asked a doctor!  Dr. Shilpa Saxena is someone I hope you’ll be getting to know more and more on this blog–she’s an integrative physician<\/a>, not to mention a friend and a seriously smart person.<\/p>\n

So here’s her answer to the perennial question: why does my pee smell after I eat asparagus?  You might be surprised by what you read!<\/p>\n

Around our home, it’s just not Spring until that tender,
\nsweet vegetable that is asparagus pokes up through the newly warming earth. 
\nFor some, those delicate tips usher in a season of fresh dining and outdoor
\ngrilling, but for others the thought of the dreaded ‘asparagus-induced urine
\nodor’ forces them to pass on our Spring delight.  Why does asparagus
\ncause smelly urine?  It’s a very common question that has sparked
\nmany a wives’ tale….so, if you’ve ever wondered, here’s the real
\nstory about asparagus and smelly urine.
<\/span><\/p>\n

Asparagus contains a unique acid, appropriately named ‘asparagusic
\nacid’, found only in this delicious vegetable.  When asparagus gets
\nprocessed for elimination, the asparagusic acid is broken down into 6 different
\nsulfur-containing compounds with varying intensities and types of smells
\nranging from sweet to pungent.  The way these compounds are used by the
\nbody dictates the predominant odor that we may experience.  This is why some
\npeople experience a pungent, ammonia type odor while a small, yet lucky few,
\nenjoy a more perfumed fragrance.  It also seems that the younger the
\nasparagus, the more asparagusic acid, and therefore, the more intense the odor.
<\/span><\/p>\n

Recent research has proven that asparagus urine odor is
\nuniversal among us humans, however, our ability to smell the odor is determined
\nby our genes!  Believe it or not, one such study has concluded that only
\n22% of the population has the gene necessary to smell any of the compounds
\npresent in urine.  So, if you’re one of the lucky 22%, you’ve
\nidentified a very unique talent, albeit it one you may wish to leave off your
\nresume.  Either way, asparagus is a great source of iron, folic acid, thiamine
\n(Vitamin B1) and dietary fiber….so eat up and maybe hold your nose!!
<\/span><\/p>\n

Shilpa P. Saxena, M.D. is a Family Practice Physician specializing
\nin Functional Medicine in the Tampa, Florida area.  Visit her at
\nwww.MyLivingWellness.com<\/a><\/span>.<\/i><\/p>\n

(image via: http:\/\/www.thecnj.com\/review\/2008\/071708\/foodanddrink071708_116.html<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last Foodie Friday, when I posted a possible explanation for why asparagus makes our wee-wee smell funny, many of you wanted more information.  So I did what anyone should do when they’re asked a health question they’re not qualified to answer–I asked a doctor!  Dr. Shilpa Saxena is someone I hope you’ll be getting to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,72,173],"tags":[506,508],"class_list":["post-489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-by-holly-lebowitz-rossi","category-food","category-guest-blogger","tag-asparagus","tag-asparagus-urine"],"yoast_head":"\nAsparagus: A Doctor's Perspective - Fresh Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/2009\/06\/asparagus-a-doctors-perspective.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Asparagus: A Doctor's Perspective - 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A graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Divinity School, she has more than a decade of experience writing about religion and spirituality for Newsweek, The Washington Post, Spa Finder, Sojourners, Search, and many other publications. Her commentaries have also been heard on NPR\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153All Things Considered.\" When not at her desk, you can find her baking, in her garden, or rockin' out in water aerobics class. She lives in Arlington, Mass. Visit http:\/\/www.hollyrossi.com for more.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/author\/hrossi"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}