When we eat asparagus , our pee immediately presents a strong and penetrating smell (unpleasant for many) that is reminiscent of that food. You may have noticed, or, if you lack certain genes, they will have told you. Because, as a research published in the medical journal The BMJ assures, the ability to detect the smell of asparagus in urine is hereditary.
In the study, led by Lorelei Mucci and Sarah Markt, from Harvard University’s TH Chan School of Public Health, 6,909 men and women of European and American descent were asked if they detected this distinctive odor. Only 40% said they did. Later, these results were crossed with those of the genome of these individuals and it was found that there were 871 variations in the genes associated with smell related to this peculiar disability.
Researchers have found that this “asparagus anosmia” affects 58% of men and 61.5% of women. The data surprised them, since, in general, the female sex detects more odors and with greater precision than the male. According to them, it is most likely that it is the position of women when urinating that makes it difficult for them to perceive the whiff (or the aroma, which there are tastes for everything) related to this food so present in Spanish gastronomy.
Why a study on the smell of asparagus on pee?
The authors allege that their work delves into the mysteries of the human smell and that it will help find treatments for people unable to differentiate certain smells. By identifying the DNA segments involved in this deficiency, new methods based on gene editing will be able to solve them.
This research has been published in the special Christmas issue of The BMJ (former British Medical Journal ), which at this time brings together works with a touch of humor and extravagance, but with all the rigor of science.
