Lessons from Asparagus Pee?

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This morning’s green view across the valley

Happy May!

Spring marches onward, and nature is truly busting out with vitality.  As often happens, I am naturally seeking out more green myself too… leafy greens and fresh herbs and asparagus!  One of my favorite vegetables.  At least now, as an adult.  My Granny always served them out of a can (ACK – mushy – she meant well).   But even now, eating them steamed or simply stir-fried can get boring.  I’m sharing below one of my favorite ways to spice it up and savor this bright green herald of spring.

This week, I have a more intriguing reflection on the topic of asparagus.  This in the vein of celebrating more unexpected wisdom we can glean from clinical research.  If averages hold, over two-thirds of you know (from personal experience) exactly what I mean when I say “asparagus pee”.  That strong sulfurous odor you may encounter in your (or residual from others’) urine fairly soon after ingesting asparagus.

If you were doing a quick internet search (often risky) on this topic, depending on which link you hit first, you would find a very persuasive clinical study telling you emphatically that your perception of this odor is based on your genetic ability to smell it (or not).  Or an equally emphatic study would tell you the odor is based on your ability to well process metabolic byproducts of asparagus (or not).   Who’s “right”?  Well, back in the 1980s, there were clinical studies in both of these veins, and both researchers believed they had found the “right” answer (the genetic odor perception or the byproduct detoxification camp).  Finger-pointing ensued.  Idiosyncrasies in the data (often the jewels!) in both cases were ultimately ignored.  Alas, not uncommon.

Another study nearly a decade later took a broader look at the topic and uncovered that actually both dynamics exist.  Some of us secrete the byproduct that has the odor; others don’t.  And also, some of us can detect the odor; others cannot.  As usual, the devil is in the detail.  We are unique individuals.  And a powerful reminder to question and keep an open mind.  There is often too much pathogenic certainty in medicine, especially in the the rush to label a person with a diagnosis.  Perhaps not enough consideration and inquiry.  Maybe years of falsely blaming your big sister for the smelly urine?

These asparagus truths are a great example of why I love science.  Why it’s so important that research remain unbiased and always questioning and validating.  It’s also a great example of why I am passionate about functional medicine, that is the practice of individualized medicine focused on addressing the true root cause of dysfunction, dis-ease, and imbalance in the body.  One solution does not fit all.   At Purpose, our expertise is digging into the detail of what is happening in each unique person’s body and finding solutions that both work and are sustainable.   Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your wellness journey!

Eat on purpose.  Live on purpose.  Choose to Be well!

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Tracy Harrison
Purpose Inc.