'Urine Injection Therapy' is harmful and cannot 'create antibodies'

What is the claim?

A video clip of Dave Asprey, a well-known American entrepreneur and author, discussing a controversial practice called "Urine Injection Therapy" is circulating widely on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Asprey is known to actively promote the controversial therapy on his website and social media handles and in the viral video, he provides instructions on administering urine injections into the body, claiming that it will create antibodies. The video has gained significant attention, with one of the posts sharing it garnering over 9,000 views. Archived versions of such posts can be found here and here.

Screenshot of claims made online (Source: Instagram/Modified by Logically Facts)

What is 'Urine Injection Therapy?'

Urine injection therapy, also known as auto-urine therapy or urotherapy, is an alternative medicine practice where a person consumes or injects their own urine as a form of treatment for various health conditions. Many claim that it can stimulate the immune system and even create antibodies. 

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), in Ayurveda, an ancient Indian system of medicine, urine therapy, known as "amaroli," has been mentioned as a potential remedy for certain ailments. 

However, there is a lack of scientific evidence to support these claims and potential risks are associated with the practice.

How true are the viral claims?

Urine is discarded as waste from the human body, and its constituents include water (comprising approximately 95% of its composition), urea (around 2%), creatinine (about 0.1%), potassium (approximately 0.6%), sodium (around 0.1%), and chloride (about 0.6%) among others. According to a paper published by the U.S.-based National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), urine contains only minimal levels of proteins (40-80mg per day), with insignificant amounts of antibodies or enzymes. It also contains varying traces of hormones, glucose, and water-soluble vitamins, though not necessarily in active forms. While urine is sterile within the kidney where it is produced, once it exits the body, it typically becomes contaminated, NCBI notes.

Professor S. Krishnaswamy, an Indian biologist, academician, and Vice-Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU), told Logically Facts, "'Normal' urine contains a small amount of protein, and most of it is albumin. There is no way it can "create antibodies to your antibodies" as claimed because the presence of antibodies, if any, in usual urine is minuscule." He added, "There is no scientific basis for the claim that urine injection therapy works and can create antibodies."

The harms of 'Urine Injection Therapy'

Logically Facts' research found that while most people do not experience serious harm if they consume or inject urine, there are some risks associated with this therapy. 

There have been documented cases of serious health risks associated with urine injection therapy. According to NBC News, in 2009, a Bolivian woman lost her life as a result of this therapy. NCBI also recorded a case that was linked to urine injection therapy and stated that a 38-year-old livestock inspector who engaged in 'Auto Urine Therapy (AUT)' experienced "fatal polymicrobial sepsis accompanied by acute respiratory distress syndrome." (Sepsis is when an infection a person is already suffering from spreads throughout their body.)

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) states, "There is no proven scientific data that drinking or using urine in other ways can provide health benefits." UPMC also mentions that while urine may contain trace amounts of vitamins and minerals, these quantities are insufficient to yield significant health advantages. 

Medical News Today has pointed out that while drinking urine is unlikely to harm most individuals, particularly healthy people who consume their urine infrequently, there are potential health risks associated with frequent urine consumption. These risks include infection, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and other possible complications.

Dr. Idrees Mughal, also known as Dr. Idz, an NHS doctor holding a master's degree in nutritional research and known for debunking medical and health claims, has debunked the claims made in the video featuring Dave Asprey discussing "Urine Injection Therapy."

This establishes that although drinking urine is thought to be likely beneficial from ancient times in some cultures, its alleged therapeutic usage is not supported by modern scientific evidence. According to scientific studies, it may exacerbate existing health issues in some cases.

The verdict

There is no scientific evidence to support that drinking urine or injecting it can solve health conditions or create antibodies. It may lead to some harmful health issues. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.