Changes in the smell of your urine can be attributed to many factors, including your diet. The most common causes of foul-smelling urine are no cause for alarm while some odors can be an indicator for certain diseases. Knowing the dietary causes associated with a negative urine odor can make you aware of any reasons for concern regarding your health.
Dehydration
Dehydration is the most common cause for foul-smelling urine in an otherwise healthy individual. If you are not properly hydrated, your urine will be more concentrated than normal and give off a smell very similar to ammonia. This can be easily remedied by ensuring you consume an adequate amount of water each day and increase your intake on days when you engage in vigorous physical activity or when the weather is extremely hot.
Asparagus
Asparagus is most popularly blamed for foul-smelling urine. The orgin of this odor is often debated. Speculation exists that the fertilizers used to treat aspargus contribute to the putrid odor of this vegetable upon excretion. Other hypotheses include, a genetic-predisposition to breakdown specific proteins in aspargus that contribute to the smell or a greater susceptibility to the smell. Concrete evidence is lacking since there appears to be no health risks associated with the consumption of asparagus and urine odor.
Vitamins and Supplements
Although some vitamins and supplements may cause a foul odor due to the concentrated combination that was in your system, there is no specific smell associated with any particular vitamin, mineral or supplement. Color changes have been associated with vitamins B and C.
Other Causes
Alcoholism can lead the excretion of ketones which, when concentrated will have an acetone-like smell. E. Coli poisoning can also contribute to foul-smelling urine, but it is also generally associated with many more severe ailments. Sweet-smelling urine can be an indication of diabetes or starvation as glucose is excreted from the body.
