I really love eating asparagus! BUT, I noticed that after I ate it, something strange happened!It's crazy how the human body works! Read the article below to find out what I am talking about. This is just crazy, gross, and kinda cool all at the same time!
"Asparagus-induced aromatic pee is an event that has always amazed me because it happens so quickly. When you eat asparagus, it goes into the stomach to be broken down by acids in the stomach, just like any other food. The nourishing elements of the meal are absorbed into the blood stream and the food molecules travel through the bloodstream to the liver and kidneys for purification. This is all normal and good. Waste that is collected in the kidneys is excreted in urine. Asparagus, unlike other vegetables, contains asparagusic acid. It is the breakdown of asparagusic acid that creates smelly byproducts.
Here are the details….digestive enzymes break down ingested asparagus and produce methanethiol (or methyl mercaptan), which is believed to be the aromatic culprit in stinky asparagus urine. (However, some scientists believe that a different family of thioesters that are the byproducts of acid reacting with sulfur-containing alcohol are responsible.) The methanethiol waste product is then (somewhat mysteriously) transmitted through the kidney to the urine. Ironically, asparagus is a diuretic, which contributes to the rapidity with which the scented urine exits the body. The aromatic nature of the methanethiol is due to the fact that it is released as a gas when you urinate."
-Excerpt fromthe article "Why Does Asaparagus Make My Pee Smell Funny?" by Dr. Molly Nickerson from the website Talking Science
No comments:
Post a Comment