Food can influence urine
Everyone is aware that certain foods might affect your urination. But did you know that one of those foods is coffee? Drinking coffee causes some people’s urine to smell like that. It turns out, however, that this is an indication of unhealthy urine.
However, this is not a well-known condition, but it exists, and the fundamental reason could be, of course, an excessive coffee use.
One of the many components found in coffee is hydroxycinnamic acid, a polyphenol that is responsible for the health benefits and distinctive aroma of this drink. When you consume coffee, hydroxycinnamic acid is broken down into a metabolite, a waste product, which is subsequently transported through your urine, giving your urine a coffee-like odor. Drinking more coffee increases the concentration of these metabolites in your waste, resulting in a stronger coffee smell.
However, how can you know if you’ve had too much caffeine? Here are some signs and symptoms:
- Disorientation or confusion
- Vomiting and chronic insomnia
- Chest pain and chronic headache
- Difficulty in breathing
- Fast or irregular heartbeat
- Hallucinations and convulsions
Caffeine consumption should be limited to 400 mg per day for healthy adults because excessive consumption is harmful for health and can lead to serious problems.
Nonetheless, various beverages and foods can cause your urine to look or smell strange. A few examples of such foods are listed below.
- Puffed wheat
- Garlic
- Asparagus
- Leafy greens such as kale
- Teas
- Salmon
- Alcohol
- Chili peppers
Do you want your pee to not smell unusual like coffee? Cut down the above food items from your diet.
Except for dehydration, there is no health issue that causes your pee to smell like coffee. However, various people have different reactions to the scent of urine. Others confuse a smell that could be caused by something else for the smell of coffee.
Some medical illnesses that induce a change in urine’s smell are listed below:
- Burnt tongue, bladder infection, and inflammation in the urinary tract
- Liver and metabolic disorder, and nasal congestion
- Kidney failure and diseases associated with kidneys
- Bladder fistulas and MSU disease (Maple syrup urine disease)
- Increased levels of human chorionic gonadotropin
- Jaundice, bloating, diabetes, and phenylketonuria
- Yeast infection and Sexually transmitted infection
- Reduced levels of necessary vitamins and nutrients in your body
Caffeine also causes you to urinate more frequently, which contributes to dehydration. However, caffeinated coffee is made up of 98% water, and the amount of waste you release is never greater than the amount you take in. Nevertheless, if you are dehydrated and you drink coffee, your urine will be more concentrated with compounds due to the lack of water to disperse them around. Dehydration can cause your urine to become more intense, and in this case, coffee-scented, in addition to darkening it.
Anyway, the suggestion is to consume less coffee and less caffeine in general.
Source sprudge.com
