Xref: utzoo sci.bio:3997 rec.food.cooking:22669
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!linac!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!apple!well!wjwhite
From: wjwhite@well.sf.ca.us (Bill White)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,rec.food.cooking
Subject: Re: blue urine from food
Message-ID: <21862@well.sf.ca.us>
Date: 29 Nov 90 06:35:41 GMT
References: <1990Oct29.161332.27997@agate.berkeley.edu> <999@ai.cs.utexas.edu> <4187@kitty.UUCP>
Lines: 29

larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes:

>In article <999@ai.cs.utexas.edu>, throop@cs.utexas.edu (David Throop) writes:
>> Bill Ellis asked about adultrants in candy that turn urine blue.
>> Several other posters said that methylene blue will do this.

>	Yup, it sure will.

>> I have also heard that an herb called bearberry has a similar effect.
>> Can anybody confirm?

>	Bearberry (uva ursis - what *else* would you call it in Latin ? :-))
>contains tannic acid, gallic acid and a gluco[pyrano]side called arbutin.
>Arbutin and/or its metabolic decomposition product results in green urine.

I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone comment on the OTHER effect of diet on
urine: namely, asparagus.  I'm not sure of the biomedical logistics, but I know
from experience that some of us have a problem digesting that wonderful, lovely,
fruit-of-the-earth, on account of the dreadful odor it imparts to one's urine.
I'm told this effect is harmless, that it is genetic and results from the
inability of some people to produce a certain enzyme (l-asparaginase, if I
remember rightly).

I'd almost be curious to take a poll here of how many of us know just what I'm
talking about and how many don't and I'd appreciate a more detailed explana-
tion of this phenomenon from the medical types amongst us.

Bill White
wjwhite@well.sf.ca.us