9 Of Life's Most Important Questions Answered By Science

8. Why Does Asparagus Make Your Pee Smell?

Even if you have never experienced it yourself, you're probably aware of asparagus's reputation for making pee smell like Satan's left armpit. Whilst we're not totally sure what causes the smell in the first place, it probably has something to do with an enzyme called asparagusic acid.

The question is, why does this only happen to some people?

It was assumed for a long time that only certain people produced the chemicals to create the odour and, as people don't often make a habit of sniffing other people's pee, it was a mostly self-reported phenomenon.

More recent studies suggest that as well as there being some people that do not produce the smell, there are those who simply can't detect it, meaning that they wouldn't know about it, even if their pee did smell. Whilst 8% were non-producers and only 6% were non-detectors, the study only found one person that fell into both camps, possessing total asparagus immunity.

What is weirder, however, is that some people find the smell totally repugnant, and some describe it as pleasantly sweet. Perhaps it's just a matter of taste.