Revealed: The surprising foods that make your urine smell funny (and it's NOT ... trends now
Pungent pee can be caused by dehydration, a urinary tract infection (UTI) or even from taking some medicines.
But certain food and drink can make your urine smell peculiar, too. And it's not just coffee and asparagus, either.
Garlic, onions, cabbage can also be the culprits, as MailOnline explains...
The NHS warns that eating asparagus and drinking coffee can have some unwanted smelly side effects
If you are healthy and hydrated, your wee should be clear or pale yellow and have a mild scent, says London-based NHS GP Dr Hana Patel.
'There are things that can often make your urine smell stronger,' she said.
'And the most common reason is because you might not be drinking enough fluids.
'There are also certain types of food and drink that can make your urine smell, such as asparagus or coffee. So too can some medicines and vitamin B6 supplements.
Asparagus is known to produce a pong, albeit a harmless one.
The odour is caused by a breakdown of asparagusic acid, Dr Patel explains.
'Up to 50 per cent of people find that this is something that they suffer from when they eat asparagus,' she said.
When this gets digested, it produces compounds including methanethiol, dimethyl sulphide, and dimethyl sulfone.
These contain sulphur, a chemical found in a skunk's spray, and which gives rotten eggs their putrid smell.
The body can't break down these compounds, so they are excreted in urine, where they give off a unique stench.
Garlic and onions, cabbage and salt can also be the culprits behind some horrid aromas. But doctors warn smelly wee can also be a sign of dehydration or a UTI
But the green veggies are not the only foods that can cause a scent.
'Foods that convert to sulphur compounds in your body can make your urine smell rotten,' Dr Patel said.
'This smell is commonly compared to rotten cabbage or rotten eggs and can come from eating asparagus, garlic, and onions, Brussel sprouts, coffee, nuts and fennel, curry and spices in curry.'
Foods that contain sulphur compounds can also be responsible for 'bad breath', Dr Duane Mellor told MailOnline. It's also, for this very reason, that cutting onions can make you cry, the Aston University dietitian says.
'As we breakdown and digest these compounds, they also can add a faint odour to our urine if we eat a lot of them,' he added.
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