Urine Smells Like Bacon: Likely Causes And Remedies

There are a lot of reasons why your urine could start smelling like smoked bacon or ham. Prime causes include high protein content in urine, urinary tract infections, and dehydration.

Here is a complete guide on why your urine smells like meat, possible causes, symptoms to watch out for, and remedies.

urine smells like bacon

Why Your Urine Smells Like Bacon

Your urine smelling like bacon may be as a result of the following.

1. Dehydration

The human body requires at least 2 liters of water daily. Failure to meet this threshold may result in very concentrated urine.

Concentrated urine means less water and abundant waste or toxic products. This results in more ammonia, nitrate, and sulfur in your urine.

Your urine becomes dark yellow in contrast to normal straw color and may give off a bacon smell.

Remedy

Drink enough water, at least 8 to 10 glasses daily. Reduce your intake of products like coffee, beverages or alcohol because they make you pee a bit more and induce dehydration.

Water can help dilute the concentration of your urine. If the condition persists after a few days, you need to see a doctor.

2. Choice Of Food

This is another major factor responsible for having bacon-smelling urine. Eating a lot of bacon or meat for many reasons can affect the smell of your urine.

Different foods have different properties. When metabolism takes place and the body absorbs what it needs, the remainder may cause your urine to smell.

Aside from bacon, vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, asparagus and cabbage may also result in smelly urine because they contain sulfur.

Remedy

Start with reducing or controlling your protein intake. In other words, balance excess protein with some veggies.

Cut down your consumption of alcohol, spices, seafood, and herbs (garlic and onion).

Drinking a lot of water can also dilute your urine, and reduce the concentration of chemicals in it.

3. Side Effect Of Drugs

Vitamin supplements (thiamine and pyridoxine) and antibiotics, especially sulfonamide can give urine a remarkable smell. If you are diabetic and on treatment, your urine may also give off a funny odor – a major side effect of antidiabetic drugs.

Remedy

Drinking enough water can reduce the smell or bring about normalcy. However, if there are improvements after days, contact your doctor to confirm the underlying cause.

4. Diseases Or Infections

Bacon smelling urine can be due to a hidden disease or infection. Symptoms to watch out for in this case include fever, pain, and burning sensation when peeing.

Common diseases that can affect the smell of your urine include:

Urinary tract infections – urethritis, cystitis, pyelonephritis, and vaginitis
Untreated diabetes mellitus
Kidney stones
Sexually transmitted infections – chlamydia
Liver diseases
Bladder fistula
Genetic problems – trimethylaminuria or maple syrup disease

NB: The first four are the common sources of smelly urine.

Remedy

These conditions can be treated or managed accordingly if spotted early. Diabetic or kidney stone patients should not be worried about their urine smelling strange, it is as a result of your medication.

However, if you have never been diagnosed with any of the aforementioned conditions and your symptoms include painful urination or fever, seek urgent medical help. There is a high chance you have developed an infection.

A urine test or kidney function test will reveal the bacteria responsible for your infection and the best antibiotic would be prescribed for you by your doctor. You should be back to normal in a matter of weeks.

Urine Smells Like Bacon: 4 Things You Must Avoid

Just like the solutions highlighted above for each cause, there are certain practices you must refrain from to avoid complicating things. They include:

1. Don’t Hold Your Urine

This is a very unhealthy practice that can cause infection, kidney diseases, and smelly urine. Always visit the bathroom when there is an urgency to pee.

2. Avoid Too Much Of Onions

Reducing onion, garlic, asparagus, and broccoli in your diet is another good way to keep your urine’s smell normal. This means less sulfur in your urine and less worry about that funky smell.

3. Cut Down On Diuretics

Diuretics such as carbonated drinks, coffee, alcohol, and beverages make you pee regularly which often leads to dehydration. Instead, drink more water and urinate occasionally and without the fear of an odor.

4. Monitor Your Vitamin B Intake

Thiamine (B1) and Pyridoxine (B6) sometimes induce smelly urine. Although vitamin supplements are very essential to our health, if your urine already smells like meat, be careful of how much you consume.

To be safe, you must consult with a doctor on the right quantity to take.

When to See Your Doctor?

Urine naturally has its odor. How concentrated this smell is, however, depends on what we eat, then drugs we take or an underlying condition of infection.

Irrespective of the smell your urine gives off, if it remains the same after increasing your water intake for a week or is associated with serious symptoms, an infection may be responsible.

You don’t have to panic. My advice for you is to see your family doctor or visit a hospital.

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Urine Smells Like Bacon: Likely Causes And Remedies