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Table of Contents
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Sweet-smelling urine can be a sign of an underlying medical condition or infection.Diabetes,urinary tract infections (UTIs), liver disease, and metabolic disorders can make urine smell sweet.
Dehydration, very low-carb diets, vitamin supplements, and some medications can also giveurinea sweet scent.
In people with type 1 diabetes, sweet-smelling urine is a sign of a potentially life-threatening complication calleddiabetic ketoacidosis(DKA).
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Reasons Why Your Urine Smells Sweet
Changes in the odor, color, and appearance of urine can happen for many reasons, and it’s not necessarily a sign of a problem. However, sweet-smelling urine is almost always a sign of a medical condition.
Some of these conditions will get better with treatment, but others can be fatal. If you notice your pee smells sweet, tell your healthcare provider.
Hyperglycemia and Diabetes
Fruity-smelling urine is sometimes the first sign ofdiabetes. High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) is common in people withundiagnosed diabetesor poorly controlled diabetes.
High levels of sugar (glucose) in the urine can make it smell sweet or like fruity cereal.There are also other signs ofhigh blood sugar, including:
Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
Diabetic ketoacidosis(DKA) is a very serious, even life-threatening, condition where chemicals calledketonesbuild up in the blood. Too many ketones make the blood too acidic.
If the cells cannot access glucose, they will start to break down fat for energy. The chemicals that are made when fat is broken down are called ketones.
When ketones build up, they can poison the body. This condition is called diabetic ketoacidosis or just DKA. People with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can go into DKA, but it’s more common if someone has undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes.
DKA can come on slowly or quickly. Sometimes, DKA comes on in just a few hours, especially if a person is vomiting.
Early signs of DKA include:
As DKA progresses, you may experience:
If DKA is not treated, a person can go into a coma or die.
DKA is considered a medical emergency. If you or someone else is showing the firstsigns of DKA, call 911 or go to the nearest ER.
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
Urinary tract infections(UTIs) happen when bacteria such asE. coliget into the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and/or urethra.
UTIs are common, especially in females who have a shorter urethral length and can have post-menopausal changes in the vagina.
UTIs often cause urine that’s foul-smelling, but they can also cause sweet-smelling urine.
Other symptoms of UTIs include:
Foetor Hepaticus
Foetor hepaticusis the smelly breath of people withliver disease. It’s also called the “breath of the dead" and happens when compounds fromliver damageget into the lungs. It can also make the urine smell unusual.
Maple Syrup Urine Disease
Maple syrup urine disease occurs in one in 185,000 infants worldwide.The most common and most severe form of maple syrup urine disease is the classic type. It is usually noticed shortly after birth.
Other forms of the disease can show up in later infancy and childhood. Though less severe, they still require medical attention.
The symptoms of maple syrup urine disease include:
Other Causes
There may also be a less serious reason your urine smells sweet. These include the following:
Diagnosing Sweet-Smelling Urine
Your healthcare provider can test your urine (urinalysis) to determine what is causing the smell. They can also do other tests, such as:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Each medical condition that can cause sweet-smelling urine has its own treatment protocol.
To avoid having sweet-smelling urine, you’ll need to prevent or treat the conditions that cause it.
Type 1 diabetes:This autoimmune disorder cannot be prevented. It is usually diagnosed in young people but can develop at any age.People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin throughout their lives.
DKA:Managing diabetes is the first step in preventing DKA. If you get sick (such as with a cold or flu), checking andmonitoring ketone levelsat home using test strips can alert you to early warning signs of DKA.Avoiding exercising if your ketones and blood sugar levels are high can also help prevent DKA. If your ketone levels are high, you need to contact your healthcare provider—especially if you are also vomiting.
UTIs:There are numerous ways tohelp prevent UTIs:
Foeter hepaticus:Steps that could help preventliver damageinclude:
Maple syrup urine disease:Since this is a recessive genetic disorder, parents can havegenetic testingdone before conception and/or on the zygote/embryo/fetus after conception to check for the condition. A person will get the condition if they receive an affected gene from both parents.
If both parents have one affected gene and one unaffected gene (carriers), their chances of having a child with the condition are 25% for each pregnancy. The chance of their child being a carrier is 50%, and the chance of their child not receiving an affected gene is 25%.
Summary
17 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.The Diabetes Council.Your urine and diabetes: what you should know.American Diabetes Association.Good to know: diabetes symptoms and tests.American Diabetes Association.DKA (ketoacidosis) & ketones.Office on Women’s Health: HealthyWoman.gov.Urinary tract infections.Osborne BV.A nose for trouble.Br J Gen Pract. 2012;62(605):652-3. doi:10.3399/bjgp12X659394MedlinePlus.Maple syrup urine disease.MedlinePlus.Urine odor.Fathallah N, Slim R, Larif S, Hmouda H, Ben Salem C.Drug-induced hyperglycaemia and diabetes.Drug Saf. 2015;38(12):1153–68. doi:10.1007/s40264-015-0339-zNHS (U.K.).Smelly urine.NIH: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Fenugreek.National Health Service UK.Smelly urine.American Diabetes Association.Understanding type 1 diabetes.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin, medicines, & other diabetes treatments.MedlinePlus.Diabetic ketoacidosis.National Organization For Rare Disorders.Maple syrup urine disease.American Urological Association.Recurrent uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.Stanford Healthcare.Liver disease prevention.
17 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.The Diabetes Council.Your urine and diabetes: what you should know.American Diabetes Association.Good to know: diabetes symptoms and tests.American Diabetes Association.DKA (ketoacidosis) & ketones.Office on Women’s Health: HealthyWoman.gov.Urinary tract infections.Osborne BV.A nose for trouble.Br J Gen Pract. 2012;62(605):652-3. doi:10.3399/bjgp12X659394MedlinePlus.Maple syrup urine disease.MedlinePlus.Urine odor.Fathallah N, Slim R, Larif S, Hmouda H, Ben Salem C.Drug-induced hyperglycaemia and diabetes.Drug Saf. 2015;38(12):1153–68. doi:10.1007/s40264-015-0339-zNHS (U.K.).Smelly urine.NIH: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Fenugreek.National Health Service UK.Smelly urine.American Diabetes Association.Understanding type 1 diabetes.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin, medicines, & other diabetes treatments.MedlinePlus.Diabetic ketoacidosis.National Organization For Rare Disorders.Maple syrup urine disease.American Urological Association.Recurrent uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.Stanford Healthcare.Liver disease prevention.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
The Diabetes Council.Your urine and diabetes: what you should know.American Diabetes Association.Good to know: diabetes symptoms and tests.American Diabetes Association.DKA (ketoacidosis) & ketones.Office on Women’s Health: HealthyWoman.gov.Urinary tract infections.Osborne BV.A nose for trouble.Br J Gen Pract. 2012;62(605):652-3. doi:10.3399/bjgp12X659394MedlinePlus.Maple syrup urine disease.MedlinePlus.Urine odor.Fathallah N, Slim R, Larif S, Hmouda H, Ben Salem C.Drug-induced hyperglycaemia and diabetes.Drug Saf. 2015;38(12):1153–68. doi:10.1007/s40264-015-0339-zNHS (U.K.).Smelly urine.NIH: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Fenugreek.National Health Service UK.Smelly urine.American Diabetes Association.Understanding type 1 diabetes.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin, medicines, & other diabetes treatments.MedlinePlus.Diabetic ketoacidosis.National Organization For Rare Disorders.Maple syrup urine disease.American Urological Association.Recurrent uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.Stanford Healthcare.Liver disease prevention.
The Diabetes Council.Your urine and diabetes: what you should know.
American Diabetes Association.Good to know: diabetes symptoms and tests.
American Diabetes Association.DKA (ketoacidosis) & ketones.
Office on Women’s Health: HealthyWoman.gov.Urinary tract infections.
Osborne BV.A nose for trouble.Br J Gen Pract. 2012;62(605):652-3. doi:10.3399/bjgp12X659394
MedlinePlus.Maple syrup urine disease.
MedlinePlus.Urine odor.
Fathallah N, Slim R, Larif S, Hmouda H, Ben Salem C.Drug-induced hyperglycaemia and diabetes.Drug Saf. 2015;38(12):1153–68. doi:10.1007/s40264-015-0339-z
NHS (U.K.).Smelly urine.
NIH: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Fenugreek.
National Health Service UK.Smelly urine.
American Diabetes Association.Understanding type 1 diabetes.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin, medicines, & other diabetes treatments.
MedlinePlus.Diabetic ketoacidosis.
National Organization For Rare Disorders.Maple syrup urine disease.
American Urological Association.Recurrent uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.
Stanford Healthcare.Liver disease prevention.
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