Foods like beetroot, blackberries, and broad beans can turn urine pink or red, for example, as the pigments are excreted by your kidneys.
But if truth be told, your urine shouldn’t really smell sweet. Google brings up various anecdotal articles about sugary cereals making our urine smell like them, but this has not been scientifically proven. You might want to consider getting checked for diabetes if you really think this is the case.
Diabetes results from issues with the hormone insulin and leads to more blood glucose circulating in the bloodstream. When these blood sugar levels get really high, the body tries to find balance in any way that it can, including through the urine. Urine that contains glucose may well smell sweet because it actually contains sugar. But since that is not a normal route for glucose to leave the body, it’s a sign that warrants further investigation.
Some medicines can give urine vivid tones too, such as orange or greenish-blue. For example, the information leaflet for the cold medicine Day Nurse states that: “One of the excipients of this medicine (Riboflavin 101) may cause your urine to turn bright yellow/orange. If this continues even after stopping taking this medicine, you should contact your doctor”.
So this one isn’t something to be worried about!
Riboflavin is a water-soluble vitamin, and excess amounts are excreted by the kidneys. As riboflavin is bright yellow in colour, it can make your wee luminous while you’re taking the Day Nurse.
Read more:
- Where do smells go?
- Why do I smell of onions after I’ve been working out?
- Why can you pee without pooing, but you can’t poo without peeing?
- I love eating garlic bread for lunch. What’s the quickest way to freshen my stinky breath for afternoon meetings?
Asked by: Lizzie White, via email
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