Ask the Doc: Do MMA fighters really benefit from drinking their own urine?


Dr. Johnny BenjaminEvery once a while, a topic rips through the MMA world, becomes popular message-board fodder, sparks debates, and – in a few cases – leaves most people feeling just a little bit queasy.

Having ignored the topic until now, MMAjunkie.com medical columnist Dr. Johnny Benjamin relented and is finally going to answer the often-pondered question: Do athletes really benefit from drinking their own urine?

MMA fighters such as Lyoto Machida and Luke Cummo, as well as boxer Juan Manuel Marquez, are all public pee proponents. But does the medical world see any value in drinking the golden nectar?

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Dr. Benjamin: I always look forward to reading your articles on MMAjunkie.com. I was wondering if you would share your opinion on the supposed nutritional value of fighters drinking their own urine. Fighters such as Lyoto Machida, who claims to swill his pee every morning, is one example. I’ve heard it said that pee is full of nutrients that the body could not absorb on the first pass. Other then sounding like a gross thing to do with one’s waste, is there any validity to this? -Mitch

Mitch, thanks for the question – I think. I can’t tell you how many times that I’ve been asked this question. I’ve tried to ignore it. But I see that I cannot. So here we go. Damn.

Urine is 95 percent water, 2.5 percent urea, and a 2.5 percent mixture of minerals, salts, hormones, enzymes and non-toxic waste products.

The practice of drinking urine is certainly not new or limited to a few modern practitioners of combat sports such as world champions Lyoto Machida in MMA and Juan Manuel Marquez in boxing. China, India, the Middle East and Rome all have ancient and modern writings that discuss the willful consumption of urine.

I recently viewed an HBO “24/7″ episode with Mr. Marquez sipping a steaming glass of his golden nectar in preparation for an upcoming fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. I have the utmost respect for Marquez as a champion, but apparently the thought of a potential ass whipping will drive a man to consider a great many things.

Although the potential benefits and healing capacities of drinking urine have been encouraged for centuries by many cultures, there is no credible medical literature or studies that support these beliefs.

Urine has been consumed to combat dehydration in extreme survival situations for its 95-percent water content. Also, water is reclaimed from urine, purified and filtered for consumption on the International Space Station.

Drinking your own urine may reclaim a small bit of water, but if the body didn’t want the other five percent (waste products and the like) during the first time, why would it want it the second time around?

Wouldn’t it be easier (and probably considerably tastier) to just sip a tall refreshing glass of H20?


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