The appearance and smell of urine could intimate a lot about the person’s health. Due to the presence of waste contents in urine, it might look or smell unusual.

Urine might smell like popcorn for many reasons. The most common causes that lead to a popcorn smell would be pregnancy, diabetes, and a high protein diet.

In the case of diabetic patients, if the body excretes high levels of ketones in urine due to non-production of enough glucose, it will smell like popcorn. Extremely high levels of ketones in urine could lead to ketoacidosis which needs immediate medical attention. Other associated signs and symptoms include increased urination, dehydration, excess thirst, rapid heartbeat, diarrhea, vomiting, fainting, confusion and deep breathing.

By consuming a lot of protein, ketone levels in the blood rise and its excretion via urine leads to a popcorn smell.

In pregnancy, hormonal changes especially increased levels of human chorionic gonadotropin in blood could lead to a change in urine odor.

Even dehydration at times could also change the color of urine to be darker, leading to an excessive strong odor.

It is not necessarily a serious issue unless the popcorn odor in urine persists for a longer time. In that case, one should consult a physician immediately to diagnose the underlying cause.