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Asparagus Pee

Young infants and perhaps those with recurrent oxalate kidney stones should avoid beets, but most commonly the chief side effect is beeturia, the harmless passage of pink urine, though not all are affected, akin to the malodorous urine (“stinky pee”) that sometimes results from asparagus consumption.

February 17, 2012 |
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Asparagus Pee, 5.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings

Sources Cited

Meschi T, Nouvenne A, Borghi L. Lifestyle recommendations to reduce the risk of kidney stones. Urol Clin North Am. 2011 Aug;38(3):313-20. Epub 2011 Jun 8.

Ferreira LF, Behnke BJ. A toast to health and performance! Beetroot juice lowers blood pressure and the O2 cost of exercise. J Appl Physiol. 2011 Mar;110(3):585-6. Epub 2010 Dec 23.

Watts AR, Lennard MS, Mason SL, Tucker GT, Woods HF. Beeturia and the biological fate of beetroot pigments. Pharmacogenetics. 1993 Dec;3(6):302-11.

Greer FR, Shannon M; American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition; American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Environmental Health. Infant methemoglobinemia: the role of dietary nitrate in food and water. Pediatrics. 2005 Sep;116(3):784-6.

Bailey SJ, Fulford J, Vanhatalo A, Winyard PG, Blackwell JR, DiMenna FJ, Wilkerson DP, Benjamin N, Jones AM. Dietary nitrate supplementation enhances muscle contractile efficiency during knee-extensor exercise in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2010 Jul;109(1):135-48. Epub 2010 May 13.

Sugarman J, Neelon FA. You're in for a treat: asparagus. N C Med J. 1985 Jun;46(6):332-4.

Acknowledgements

Images thanks to Caleb and teebag.

Transcript

I just presented evidence from this a groundbreaking new series of experiments suggesting beets can significantly improve athletic performance. Can’t be that easy, there has to be a downside.

Well, those who want their kids to get a jump on physical fitness should know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends we shouldn't feed vegetables to infants less than three months of age, but we shouldn't be feeding babies anything but breast milk at that age anyway.

What else? Beets do have a lot of oxalates in them, and though the primary means of preventing oxalate kidney stone formation involves meat restriction, and eating more fruits and vegetables, some people are genetically predisposed to oxalate absorption, in which case they might want to instead choose a different high nitrate plant food to boost their performance.

Other than that theoretical concern, only two side effects were consistently noted in these studies: no deleterious side effects, but subjects did, however, report beeturia (red urine) and red stools.

That’s actually the real name, Beeturia, the passage of pink or red urine after the ingestion of beetroot, and it doesn’t happen in everybody, which is kinda interesting.

Same thing with asparagus— only about half of the population gets stinky pee from asparagus, whereas the frequency appears greater among Americans. Those who produce the odor assume, politely, that everyone does and those who do not produce it have no idea of the olfactory consequences of asparagus. There is no reason as to why these two opposing factions should converse on this subject. A brief discourse with one’s colleagues will confirm such differences and verify this state of affairs.

It actually gets curioser and curioser. There are not just two types of people in the world when it comes to asparagus pee, but four. Some people get stinky pee but apparently genetically don’t have the ability to smell the smelly compounds themselves: some people are excretors of stinky asparagus pee while others are nonexcretors; however others are perceivers (able to smell the odor) while others can’t. So some people think they don’t have stinky pee but in actuality it’s just not stinky to them.

You’ve got to love nutritional science.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by MaryAnn Allison.

To help out on the site please email <a
href= “mailto:volunteer@nutritionfacts.org” >volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

If you missed the beginning of this series, start with the experiments described in Doping with beet juice and replicated in yesterday’s video. In Monday's video-of-the-day,  I'll use beeturia to illustrate an important point about phytonutrients and return to the nitric oxide story on Tuesday. Have a great weekend, and feel free to spend it watching hundreds of my other videos on more than a thousand subjects :) For the asparagus lovers out there, check out my videos #1 Anticancer Vegetable and Best Cooking Method.

For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance and Increasing Muscle Strength with Fenugreek

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    If you missed the beginning of this series, start with the experiments described in Doping with beet juice and replicated in yesterday’s video. In Monday’s video-of-the-day, I’ll use beeturia to illustrate an important point about phytonutrients and return to the nitric oxide story on Tuesday. Have a great weekend, and feel free to spend it watching hundreds of my other videos on more than a thousand subjects :) For the asparagus lovers out there, check out my videos #1 Anticancer Vegetable and Best Cooking Method.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/veguyan/ Veguyan

    Dr. Greger,

    I’m 63 now, and I’ve been a vegan for about 40 years. I recently learned that I have kidney stones; one of them is one centimeter, sitting in my right kidney (saw it inadvertently in an x-ray). (I wish I knew what to do about it. I’m scared of the doctors. Should I get them blasted and have Cat Scans, etc.) Admittedly, I eat a lot of kale along with many fruits and vegetables. Not as often, I’ll eat some steamed beets, and when I do, I have beetstoolia. And sharing further, in keeping with the humorous aspect of this episode of the series, if I eat a can of vegetarian chili ( I won’t name the popular vegetarian brand), I have chilistoolia, so much so, that the odor is the same as when I freshly open the can the night before.

    Seriously though, What to do about the stones? Is doing nothing an option?

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/paulvah/ paulvah

      Hi this is the first time i have replied.. dont know how this works… you said “admittedly i eat a lot of
      kale” but that makes me wonder… because the info i find on kale is that it is low oxalate… nothing like
      spinach or beets. please advise

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/veguyan/ Veguyan

    Alright, then, I think the most information I’m going to get on this thread is for kidney stones, cut down on the beets.

    Thank you.

    • Tia

      Veguyan & Dr Greger…thanks for this site – I am a nutritionfacts fan, and vegan. Yes and I have similar questions not just about beets but about other high oxalate foods and kidney function. I would be interested in a response from the Doc in relation to any results from research done in the field of oxalates & the kidneys, intestinal flora and oxalate absorption and low oxalate plant foods that can replace the higher oxalate ones in a vegan diet. It would be so great if the Doc could do a series on vegan food substitutions for things like low oxalate vegan diet and also a gluten free diet as I know a number of people who’s food sensitivities and ailments have made their food choices already limited but who would love to choose a vegan diet. In these cases would it also be wise to seek the advice of a plant based dietician?

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/ghulstyle/ ghulstyle

    i just read your Durian story in one of your Q&A
    and was wondering if there is anything similiar with the smell of Durian
    me and my partner were driving back home after i bought some durian. Funny enough i am only able to detect a slight smell while my partner wanted to leave the car and take the bus! :D

  • Suzie Kyootie

    I recently read or heard that beeturia, etc., is caused by a shortage of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

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