What is it about the Smell of Urine?
Mainly we are talking here about noticing changes in urine odor. But what about smell in general?
Normally urine does not give off a very strong smell. If you catch the smell of something very pungent, you may have developed an infection or stones. Either of these may create an ammonia-like odor.
Diabetics could notice that their urine smells sweet.
The body in that case is probably passing out excess sugar. In the past [as far back as ancient Egypt] and even to relatively modern times, doctors would taste urine for this sweetness to diagnose diabetes. Still want to be a doctor?
There are foods that can change urine odor. Asparagus is the best known.
What is smelled when they eat asparagus is the breaking down of a sulfur compounds called methyl mercaptan This is the same compound which we find in garlic and skunk spray. When you catch a whiff of something after enjoying a plate of asparagus, that probably means that you inherited the gene for the enzyme that breaks down mercaptan. You are special, not everyone has that gene.
