Asparagus=Smelly Pee?
Johnny, Elizabeth, Lizzy
A question everybody has been asking, why does asparagus make your pee smell?
What is the science behind this?
This phenomenon happens because of the acids found in the asparagus. When we digest the asparagus and the chemicals separate in our stomach, on of the chemical compounds in it contains a chemical sulfur. Another type of food with sulfur in it for example is a rotten egg. Sulfur can violate easily, which means it can vaporize at a low temperature easily. When this sulfur is in your body it eventually violates, and this is where that odor comes from. It will take 15-30 minutes after that for the stench of the sulfur to start up. When you urinate, the vapor comes out with it, so it goes from your urine, to the air and into your nose. That's why we smell the odor after we eat the asparagus..
However, not everybody smells this. Why?
Some people’s metabolism just works so that they don’t produce the smell when they go to the bathroom. The sulfurs in the asparagus don't violate in their bodies. For other people, they produce the smell but can't smell it. This is caused by genetics. Some people's DNA doesn't allow them to smell certain things, such as the chemicals in the asparagus. In this case, it can also be a threat for other things. Some scientists think that this reason might be a threat because then these certain people might not be able to smell other harmful odors. There are some very harmful gasses that these people won't be able smell along with not being able to smell the stench that their urine has after eating asparagus. However, this is just a theory and isn't officially proven.
What bodily systems do these affect?
Digestive System: Before this asparagus comes out as urine, your body needs to digest all of the asparagus. It has to travel through the stomach, and your small intestine to break up and split up all of the chemicals. Your body needs to break down the asparagus before the sulfur is able to split up from the rest of the nutrients and chemicals in the asparagus.
Muscular System: This is the way the the asparagus actually gets into your body. You have to chew it and open and close your mouth. You have to physically move the asparagus into your mouth and open and close your mouth using your mouth muscles to chew to get the asparagus into your body.
Excretory System: Once your digestive system separates all of the asparagus, the chemicals found in the asparagus get separated from the rest of the asparagus, which will travel onto the large intestine. The chemicals will travel onto the organs of the excretory system starting with the the kidney where they will be filtered out. From there it will be sent onto the bladder and soon will leave the body.
TRUE (right side) or FALSE (left side)
People that can't smell the bad smell in their pee after eating asparagus are just ignoring the smell.
True (right side) False (left side)
The chemicals found in the asparagus separate from the rest of the nutrients in the asparagus and go to get filtered out from the kidneys.
True (right side) False (left side)
Scientist think that when people can't smell the bad smell coming from their pee after eating asparagus it is a threat because they won't be able to smell other bad gasses.
True (right side) False (left side)
The asparagus is violating when you are chewing it