Urine Smells Like Onions

Urine Smells Like Onions
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Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on December 02, 2021
Urine normally has a slight smell, but some unusual and strong smells may also be noticed. Odd smells along with feeling sick, pain, or bloody urine are a sign you should see your doctor.
Urine is mostly waste products and water and normally has a mild smell and a light yellow color. If you have more waste than water in your urine , it can smell more strongly.
In most cases, a strong smell isn’t a sign of disease. It’s usually from your diet and medications, or it means you need to drink more water. Certain urine smells can be a sign of some conditions, but your doctor might not consider that to be the case unless you have other symptoms.
Your food, vitamins, and medications are the most common cause of a bad urine smell .
Foods. Some foods have compounds that naturally have a strong odor and can make your urine smell. These include:
Vitamins. B vitamins are water soluble, which means your body doesn’t store them, and whatever you don’t need is removed in your urine. B vitamins in your multivitamin are often the culprit of smelly urine.
Medications. Some medicines like antibiotics can make your urine stink. Some antibiotics are made from mold and can make your urine smell yeasty.
Drinking lots of water throughout the day can help with these smells and keep your urine clear.
One warning sign of diabetes or high blood sugar is urine that smells sweet or fruity. The sweetness comes from sugar in your urine and is a sign your body is trying to get rid of extra sugar in your blood. Some people say their pee smells like Cheerios, which might be a sweet smell that you should tell your doctor about.
Fruity-smelling urine can be a sign of other diseases and complications.
Diabetic ketoacidosis . Ketoacidosis is a dangerous complication of diabetes that happens when ketones build up in your blood. It causes symptoms like fruity breath, sweet-smelling urine, excessive thirst, and tiredness.
Maple syrup urine disease. This rare, life-threatening genetic condition prevents the body from breaking down some amino acids. It affects babies and children.
When these build up in your blood, a compound called a branched-chain alpha-keto acid shows up in your urine and makes it, along with your earwax, smell like maple syrup. The disease can cause other serious symptoms like seizures, sleepiness, irritability, and poor feeding.
Foods that convert to sulfur compounds in your body can make your urine smell rotten. This smell is commonly compared to rotten cabbage or rotten eggs and can come from eating asparagus, garlic, and onions. There are rare conditions that create a rotten smell, too.
Trimethylaminuria. In this condition, your body can’t break down a compound called trimethylamine . This chemical on its own smells like rotten eggs, rotting fish, or garbage. As trimethylamine collects in your body, your sweat, breath, and urine will smell rotten or fishy.
Tyrosinemia. There are 3 types of tyrosinemia, which cause problems breaking down the amino acid tyrosine . Byproducts build up and cause breath, sweat, and urine to smell like boiled cabbage.
Strong, ammonia-like urine is a sign that you’re a little dehydrated . Drinking more water can often help. Sometimes, ammonia is also a sign of:
Urinary tract infection. Also called a UTI, such an infection happens when you have bacteria in any part of your urinary system. It causes strong or sweet urine. Other UTI symptoms include:
Liver disease. A problem with your liver can make your skin and eyes yellow and your urine dark and smelly. It can also cause stomach pain, throwing up, and feeling sick.
Kidney stones . Crystals made of waste products and minerals can build up in your kidneys and form hard stones, which can cause strong-smelling urine. You might also feel sick, have pain that comes and goes, and have bloody urine.
In most cases, a strong urine smell is caused by your food or is a sign that you need more fluids . If your urine smells sweet, you feel unwell, or you have other symptoms along with foul-smelling urine, though, talk to your doctor. Treatment for an unusual urine smell depends on the cause.
Cleveland Clinic: “Urine Smell: What Does It Mean?”
Colorado State University: “Water-Soluble Vitamins: B-Complex and Vitamin C – 9.312.”
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association : “Cloudy, Foul Smelling Urine Not a Criteria for Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection in Older Adults.”
Mayo Clinic: “Diabetic ketoacidosis.” “Urinary tract infection (UTI),” “Urine odor.”
Merck Manual Consumer Version: “Tyrosinemia.”
Metabolites : “Quantitative Determination of Common Urinary Odorants and Their Glucuronide Conjugates in Human Urine.”
National Health Service: “Kidney stones,” “Smelly urine.”
National Organization for Rare Disorders: “Maple Syrup Urine Disease.”
Pacific Men’s Health: “Men's Health 6 Reasons Your Pee Stinks.”
U.S National Library of Medicine: “Trimethylaminuria.”
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Brunzel NA. Physical examination of urine. In: Fundamentals of Urine and Body Fluid Analysis. 4th ed. Elsevier; 2018.
McPherson RA, et al., eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 23rd ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier; 2017. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Aug. 10, 2016.
Shirasu M, et al. The scent of disease: Volatile organic compounds of the human body related to disease and disorder. The Journal of Biochemistry. 2011;150:257.
Chernecky CC, et al., eds. Urinalysis. In: Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Saunders Elsevier; 2013. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Aug. 11, 2016.
Wilkinson JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 13, 2016.

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Urine consists mainly of water. It's the amount and concentration of various waste products excreted by the kidneys that causes urine odor.
Urine that contains a lot of water and few waste products has little to no odor. If urine becomes highly concentrated — a high level of waste products with little water — your urine may have a strong ammonia odor.
Some foods and medications, such as asparagus or certain vitamins, can cause a noticeable urine odor, even in low concentrations. Sometimes, unusual urine odor indicates a medical condition or disease, such as:
Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.
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October 13, 2021 / Urinary & Kidney
Learn what’s normal and what’s not when it comes to the odor of your pee

November 15, 2021 / Urinary & Kidney

November 15, 2021 / Urinary & Kidney

February 22, 2021 / Urinary & Kidney

February 22, 2021 / Urinary & Kidney

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Most of the time you go to the restroom and the pee that comes out is… well, hardly notable. But then there are other days when the urine flows and your nose immediately picks up a certain funkiness.

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Consider it a whiff of information, as the smell of your urine can offer important insight as to what’s happening inside your body.
Let’s learn how to sniff out the clues with urologist Petar Bajic, MD .
For the most part, urine carries very little odor. The reason why is simple: It’s about 95% water. The remainder amounts mostly to waste products — calcium, nitrogen, potassium and more — filtered by your kidneys.
Now if you’re dehydrated, the percentage of water in your pee drops and the filtered waste takes a more prominent role. That creates a stronger smell, notes Dr. Bajic. (Dehydration also turns your urine a darker color, but that’s a different discussion .)
It’s not just drinking, though. What you eat can affect the scent of your bladder output, too.
Asparagus is infamous for giving urine a pretty stinky sulfur smell, for instance. Fast fact: Your body converts an acid in asparagus into sulfur-containing compounds, which creates that pungent result.
Coffee drinkers also may recognize a certain brewed aroma during a bathroom break. Brussels sprouts, onions and garlic also can add a certain zest to urine.
In addition, various medications and supplements can contribute a specific scent to pee.
“This is all completely normal,” says Dr. Bajic. “It reflects the life you’re living.”
Not every unique urine odor can be explained simply by diet, though. Sometimes, that malodourous stream serves as a warning sign of an underlying health issue that deserves attention, says Dr. Bajic.
If you detect a hint of ammonia in your urine, it could be a sign of a urinary tract infection . The odor suggests that bacteria may be swimming around in your urinary system, most likely in your urethra, kidneys or bladder.
Urine showing signs of a UTI also may be cloudy or even a bit bloody. Peeing may also become painful — a symptom made even worse by the fact that you may feel the need to urinate more often. A fever and mental confusion are other tell-tale accompanying signs.
If you have multiple symptoms, schedule a visit with your healthcare provider.
UTIs are pretty common, sending approximately 10 million Americans to the doctor every year for antibiotic treatment, says Dr. Bajic. Women and older adults are more prone to getting the infection .
Other potential causes of urine that carry the whiff of ammonia include:
Now an ammonia-like odor also can be linked to dehydration and certain foods and vitamins, as mentioned previously. So if the smell pops up and disappears quickly, there’s little reason for concern. If it lingers, though, get checked by a medical professional.
Pee with a sugary or fruity fragrance can serve as a warning sign of diabetes or hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) , says Dr. Bajic. The sweet smell comes from your body unloading excess glucose, or sugars.
In children, particularly newborns, sweet-smelling tinkle might indicate maple syrup urine disease . This rare, life-threatening metabolic disorder prevents the body from breaking down specific amino acids found in food.
The underlying message here? Urine that smells sweet shouldn’t be ignored, says Dr. Bajic. Check in with your doctor.
There’s usually a pretty basic explanation for urine that smells a bit different. It’s just the way your body functions, says Dr. Bajic. In most cases, that funk should disappear within a day or so.
But if the smell stays and is accompanied by other symptoms, it’s something that deserves further investigation. Don’t ignore it.

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Does your urine ever smell a little… well, stinky? It’s probably just a sign of dehydration or something you ate, but it could also be a warning about a larger health issue. Learn more from a urologist.

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