• Question: after you eat a beetroot why is your urine pink/red and does it happen with any other food

    Asked by bluedogwithanafro to Hywel, Joseph, Patience, Poonam, Rachael on 14 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Poonam Kaushik

      Poonam Kaushik answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Beet root has got pigments (Betalains, beta carotene and betacyanin) in it. Betacyanin in beetroot may cause red urine in some people who are unable to break it down. This is called beeturia

      it might happen in other food products as well if the body is unable to digest it.

    • Photo: Joseph Cook

      Joseph Cook answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      I’m not 100% sure but I think it’s because some people’s bodies aren’t able to break down the pigment that makes beetroot red, so it survives intact all the way through your body. Most pigments are broken down by the digestive system and so have no effect on your urine.

      I’m unaware of other foods that this happens with, but there may be some that I don’t know about.

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