Asparagus may be best known for giving urine a distinctive smell, sometimes compared with Sugar Puffs, but this humble green vegetable offers far more than an unusual bathroom-related side effect. Low in calories, it is also a source of essential vitamins and minerals, making it a nutritious addition to meals.
In the UK, the stem vegetable is typically in season from April to June. It has also been linked to the unusual practice of predicting the future. Jemima Packington, a practising asparamancer from Worcestershire, told the BBC in February that 2026 would bring political “carnage” and a “tremendous World Cup”—predictions that could arguably be seen as accurate.
For people struggling to switch off amid the excitement of the year, asparagus may have another appealing property: research suggests it could support sleep and memory.
According to the Mail Online, a growing body of research indicates that people taking asparagus supplements experienced improved sleep, reduced anxiety and sharper attention.
The vegetable was also found to support the rebuilding of muscle and tissue during sleep. In addition, it may help the body remove waste products from the brain—substances that can be associated with the development of dementia.
A new review published by Cambridge University Press examined 18 studies involving 503 participants and assessed the effects of asparagus supplements.
The review stated: “Cognitive improvements were observed in reaction time, accuracy and mental fatigue, while mood and stress-related outcomes showed reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms.”
It added: “Sleep outcomes consistently demonstrated improvements in sleep quality and duration, while biomarker data showed effects on cortisol levels.”
The researchers also found evidence of benefits among patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), including improvements in behaviours associated with dementia, such as hallucinations and agitation.
However, the review suggested that the severity and progression of dementia could influence how much benefit people receive from asparagus supplements.
Overall, the review concluded that “asparagus-based supplementation appears to provide modest benefits across multiple domains, including cognition (reaction time, attention and fatigue), mood (anxiety, depression and reduced agitation) and stress-related physiology (reduced cortisol), and particularly quality and duration of sleep.”
