Douching can open you up to a whole host of other issues and increase your risk of infection.) However, not everyone can smell it. Ah, the keto diet. When asparagus is digested, asparagusic acid gets broken down into sulfur containing byproducts. As many weight loss studies have shown, youll likely experience both short- and long-term weight loss when switching to a keto diet (2, 6). Experts think hormones may change your perception of smells. The keto flu, or carb flu, is used to describe symptoms often experienced by those beginning a keto diet. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. It can also cause stomach pain, throwing up, and feeling sick. One of the hallmarks of a keto diet is a reduction in blood sugar levels and an increase in ketones. Want lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? This may happen more often in children who dont pee when they feel the urge. If the smell doesn't go back to normal a few days after quitting eating keto, that's a good sign something else might be causing it, since vaginal pH should return to normal after going back to your typical diet, notes Rosser. There's actually a scientific explanation, though; asparagus has asparagusic acid, which is responsible for They say their vagina has a more pungent smell since they've gone keto. Sulfa is found in some diabetes medication, antibiotics, migraine medicine, anti-inflammatories, and (quite fittingly) diuretics. Wearing breathable fabrics can also help prevent unwanted moisture and scents from building up. The quick evaporation of those asparagus metabolites when peeing causes your urine to have a sulfurous odor, like rotten eggs or cooked cabbage. It also has its own odor profile that creates that familiar beer-pee smell. Find out the diseases you can prevent just by washing your hands. The group of peeps who have experienced smelling an off scent down below seems to be pretty large, at least on the Internet. The more fat your body burns in ketosis, the more ketones, like acetone, your body produces as byproducts. This chemical on its own smells like rotten eggs, rotting fish, or garbage. Instead, a more plausible theory is that going on the keto diet impacts your vaginal pHand that changes your vaginal odor, she says. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, F/65/5'8" SD:1/18 SW:170ish CW:130ish Goal:healthy/happy/wellfed. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. More bacteria get released into your urine during a UTI, causing a distinguished rank odor that he describes as a "pungent rotten-egg smell, often fishy-like." As Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1781, A few stems of asparagus eaten, shall give our urine a disagreable odour.. Most importantly, dont make the mistake of eating a diet that lacks diversity. To reduce fatigue during this switch, you may want to take electrolyte supplements. Two hypotheses exist. noticed that their vaginas started to emit an intense order after going on the low-carb diet. There are many fast food options available that are low in carbs. And prenatal vitamins might change the way your pee smells. Thank you", This! How Do You Know If You Have A Hormonal Belly? The smell of rotting fish is hard to ignore, and should especially be a red flag if you notice it in your pee. 2005 - 2023 WebMD LLC. Maybe you can conduct your own survey at the next family meal that includes a platter of asparagus or soon after. Now, people are talking about another unpleasant side effect of the keto diet: keto crotch. It affects babies and children. Whats more, test kits can be expensive. Some people say their pee smells like Cheerios, which might be a sweet smell that you should tell your doctor about. People born with this condition cant break down certain amino acids. Yes. The short-term side effects of a keto diet are better known. UPDATE: For everyone saying asparagus, I just checked my food diary and I last ate asparagus on October 13th. PKU, short for phenylketonuria, is another inherited disorder where the body can't break down phenylalanine, an amino acid found in protein. And if you've been swimming or wading in a river, lake, or chlorinated pool, it can also help to shower or rinse off after you've been in water. But a lack of fluids does raise your chances of getting kidney stones and urinary tract infections. I have to think happy thoughts during squats," another woman posted on Reddit. Morning sickness may leave you dehydrated. Your pee or breath may smell fruity if you dont treat high blood sugar. They can stop or slow urine flow, leading to a buildup of salt and ammonia. This is great for weight loss, but not so great for your body odor. Sick or elderly people with compromised immune systems are particularly susceptible. Make sure you get some assistance.. The rest are unaware of the smell. Onions make you cry, and they also make your urine stinky. "One type of ketone, acetone, is an ingredient in some nail polish removers, which is why your breath may smell like this familiar scent," said Cynthia Sass, RD, Health contributing nutrition editor. Humans, on the other hand, rely heavily on their visual sense, so various mutations may have occurred in humans that degenerated the capacity to smell asparagus pee as a random error. If you swear that you've never smelled what's colloquially known as asparagus pee, it is because you lack the ability to recognize the stench. Some people can smell the characteristic odor that asparagus gives to their urine, while others cannot. The ketones themselves may also affect your brain, helping to reduce appetite (12) (13). Fast weight loss can occur during the first week. During the metabolism of asparagus, sulfur compounds in the asparagus are eliminated from the body through urine, which results in the pungent smell of urine. But unfortunately, no research exists showing that diet alone can alter vaginal pH. Treatment for an unusual urine smell depends on the cause. It's one of the universally acknowledged food truths, like how coffee makes you poop and beans make you fart. "Your urine isn't going to make your vagina smell," confirmed Dr. Streicher. See additional information. I'm drinking water like a fish and peeing like it's going out of style. However, theyre not as accurate as a blood monitor. A quick search online will reveal several keto followers who complain about this particular effect. When you pee, the sulfur byproducts evaporate almost immediately, causing you to Asparagusic acid is only found in asparagus, though Smith says there are plenty of other foods that can change the smell of your urine. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Last medically reviewed on October 30, 2022. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. If you want a more accurate assessment, monitor ketone levels in your blood, urine, or breath every week. Like not a nasty infectious smell, just like a stronger natural smell? Sometimes your pee smells funny when you take certain kinds of multivitamins. Ultimately, going on the keto diet is entirely your choice, and you should see how your mind and body feel after you start to help you gauge whether it's a way of eating that works for you. WebThis smell is commonly compared to rotten cabbage or rotten eggs and can come from eating asparagus, garlic, and onions. You can measure your ketone levels with a breath analyzer or urine strips. Strong, ammonia-like urine is a sign that youre alittle dehydrated. Fruits and vegetables can help hydrate you, too. You may go to the bathroom a lot if you have a UTI. 2005-2023 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. I'm about to ovulate so maybe that with keto makes things a little more potent. While youre in there, you might get a whiff of something that doesnt smell good. When your body isnt getting the glucose it needs for energy, your body begins to burn fat for energy, which produces ketones. Whats the Ideal Ketosis Level for Weight Loss? In this day and age, urologists run blood tests, not taste tests, to check for diabetes. Most everyone knows about asparagus pee, but there are some other foods and medications that can also change the odor of the urine. This content is imported from poll. If you have more waste than water inyour urine, it can smell more strongly. Medicines for diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis also can affect the way your pee smells. Does a Healthy Penis Smell BadAnd What About Semen? Were talking headaches, fatigue, body aches, dizziness, and nausea. In most cases, a strong smell isnt a sign of disease. WebWhat does ammonia smell like? Nearly two weeks before being called in the office. Your pee may also have a strong smell after you drink coffee, or eat fish, onions, or garlic. But while theres no direct link, going keto could potentially have an indirect effect on whether you develop a rash. Skip the medical care point. This includes an initial decrease in exercise performance. Some of these issues should subside after the transition period, but it may be important to be mindful of different foods that may be causing digestive issues. A different Reddit user agreed, responding: "Oh boy, yes. It causes symptoms like fruity breath, sweet-smelling urine, excessive thirst, and tiredness. It monitors acetone, one of the three main ketones in your blood during ketosis (3). Not everybody, Louis. Tbh, tons of totally harmless reasons could explain this. However, long-term keto dieters often report increased focus and energy (14, 15). Maybe I'm just a freak of nature!". The rest are unaware of the smell. Here are the vitamins and supplements doctors take every day. Tell them you are under the care of a medical doctor and if they are saying you are prohibited from using the common bathroom, you'll need that in writing on official company letterhead or email. You may not have other symptoms. The study If you have kidney failure, you may smell a lot of ammonia when you go to the bathroom. A healthy vaginal pH is acidicbetween 3.8 and 4.5and foods like onions, garlic, red meat, dairy, asparagus, broccoli, alcohol, and fruit can all affect the natural balance youve got going on, Mary Rosser, MD, PhD, ob-gyn at Montefiore Medical Center in New York previously told Women's Health. This may be water weight, but fat loss may soon follow. That's because your body breaks down fat for energy instead of carbs. It just absolutely shifted my whole mood for my job. When followed correctly, this low carb, high fat diet will raise your blood levels of ketones. The truth is, going on a high-fat, low-carb diet can be a little rough on your body at first. The specific culprit is acetone, a ketone that exits the body in your urine and breath (3). While this breath may be less than ideal for your social life, it can be a positive sign for your diet. They can also make infections more likely. One is that some people simply dont produce the smell. As for hours my pee smells more like days. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hundreds of variants in the DNA sequence across multiple genes involved in sense of smell are strongly associated with the ability to detect asparagus metabolites in urine. The use of acetone breath analyzers has been shown to be fairly accurate, though less accurate than the blood monitor method (10). That's also why your pee becomes dark and bad-smelling, she adds, because as your body gets dehydrated from drinking too much coffee, the bacteria become more concentrated in your waste. If your toilet bowl smells like a fish market gone bad, it could be trimethylaminuria (try saying that three times fast, or just one time, slow). The main downside of this test method is that it requires pricking your finger to draw blood. If your urine smells like metal, you might have a pseudomonas infection. Liver disease can make your pee and breath smell musty. The Ketogenic Diet is a low carbohydrate method of eating. As you pee, these aspargusic acid-turned sulfur byproducts evaporate almost immediately, causing you to smell that distinctive asparagus pee scent. But if the smell persists or you start to notice other symptoms like itchiness, burning, and abnormal discharge, its time to see your doctor. "Sweet-smelling urine typically indicates the presence of sugar or glucose," Dr. Ellerkmann says. I have no idea! Vegetables are good for your body, but dont be alarmed if they make your urine smell like rotten cabbage. On the low carb, high fat keto diet, your body enters a state in which you burn fat for your main source of fuel rather than carbs.Learn how to. Hepatic steatosis (aka fatty liver, which is a buildup of fat in the liver), Hypoproteinemia (deficient levels of protein in the blood). The digestion of asparagus produces methanethiol and S-methyl thioesters, chemical compounds containing stinky sulfur, also known as brimstone. If the odour persists or your urine becomes cloudy, seek a physicians care. But, scientifically speaking, why would a diet high in fat and very low in carbs change the scent of your vagina? This includes a reduction in insulin levels and the increased breakdown of fat (1, 2). If you feel full and dont need to eat as often as before, then you may be in ketosis. Here is everything you need to know about these. So can vitamin B-6 supplements. The vagina, the urine, a lot of your body is supposed to have a certain type of acidity, says Brant. This odor is because of the breakdown of a substance called asparagusic acid Sarah Coseo Markt receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. After the initial rapid drop in water weight, you should continue to lose body fat consistently as long as you stick to the diet and remain in a calorie deficit. Anyone eating asparagus has the potential to produce pungent-smelling urine. If you notice you have a weird odor going on down there right after you go keto, you may want to give it a few days to see if it goes away, says Dr. Greves. However, send an email with your understanding of the situation. In fact, a study my colleagues and I conducted in 2017 found that only 40 percent of those surveyed reported detecting the odor in their urine. You can lessen these symptoms by drinking plenty of fluids and getting enough electrolytes. The NLM reports these symptoms: Some experts have theorized that the keto diet changes vaginal pH (the balance of bacteria in your vagina), which can alter your vaginal scent. Heres everything men need to know about bladder leakage. That's because, like coffee, alcohol is a diuretic that makes the bacteria in urine more concentrated as you pee more and become dehydrated. "Alcohol ferments and causes the odor of the urine to be like rotting greens," Dr. Gupta says. With Walk At Home And MIRROR', This Mom Lost 95 Lbs. Surgery can fix fistulas. These include: Vitamins. "It's never normal for your vagina to have an odor," said Dr. Streicher. Yes, there's actually a disease for your pee named after the sweet breakfast condiment. But if you notice a rash down there and its not going away, its time to call your doctor, as you could be experiencing a yeast infection, STD, or other skin condition. Thats called hyperosmia. It means they dont have the right enzyme to break down the amino acid tyrosine. But whether this is actually being caused by following the keto diet remains up for debate. And even a slight change in pH (even one doesn't impact the health of your vagina) can alter the smell you're used to. An also take some bathroom spray with you/ spray before you go- it creates a film that traps odors. Some babies are born with a condition called tyrosinemia type 1. Asparagus is a big culprit for smelly urine; in fact, your pee can start smelling like asparagus just 20 minutes after you eat it. If you mess with the acidity, things dont work out very well. The lesson here is to just leave your vagina alone. 'I Lost 50 Lbs. Watch out for these clear signs youre not eating enough vegetables. 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