Every time you urinate, you have the chance to learn something
about yourself — from how hydrated you are to whether some of
your vital organs may be showing signs of dysfunction.
Many shifts in urine colour can be explained simply by how
hydrated your body is at any given moment.
“A lot of changes simply come from the state of hydration, which
is affected by a whole bunch of things you’re doing,“The various shades of yellow to white to dark can just be a
sign of how much fluid you are taking in, versus how much you’re
putting out.”
about yourself — from how hydrated you are to whether some of
your vital organs may be showing signs of dysfunction.
Many shifts in urine colour can be explained simply by how
hydrated your body is at any given moment.
“A lot of changes simply come from the state of hydration, which
is affected by a whole bunch of things you’re doing,“The various shades of yellow to white to dark can just be a
sign of how much fluid you are taking in, versus how much you’re
putting out.”
But if your urine starts to look particularly strange, other factors
may be to blame.
“There are colours that point to specific organs. When you have
blood in the urine, that’s a sign that there’s something coming
from the urinary tract, kidneys, bladder, prostate or urethra,”
“If it’s something that is more brownish, it can
point to a problem with the liver, but really looking at the urine
grossly is just a very first kind of screening indication that maybe
more needs to be done in terms of looking at it under the
microscope.”
Here are the numerous shades that may
show up in your urine:
Transparent
If your urine is completely clear, it may be a sign that you are
drinking too much water.
“There can be rare risks with drinking a very large amount of water
(including) diluting the salts in the body. “But in
general, if you’re drinking so much that your urine looks like
water, you probably are drinking more than you need.”
That being said, over-hydration rarely causes serious health
issues. “You’re probably not causing yourself great harm unless
you are forcing yourself to drink far beyond what you need,” he
noted.
If your urine is completely clear, it may be a sign that you are
drinking too much water.
“There can be rare risks with drinking a very large amount of water
(including) diluting the salts in the body. “But in
general, if you’re drinking so much that your urine looks like
water, you probably are drinking more than you need.”
That being said, over-hydration rarely causes serious health
issues. “You’re probably not causing yourself great harm unless
you are forcing yourself to drink far beyond what you need,” he
noted.
Pale straw to amber or honey
Lighter shades of yellow indicate that you are probably well-
hydrated — but as the colour darkens, it could be a sign you need
to refuel with fluids.
Lighter shades of yellow indicate that you are probably well-
hydrated — but as the colour darkens, it could be a sign you need
to refuel with fluids.
Syrup or brown ale
If you’re noticing shades of brown in your urine, it could simply be
a sign that you are dehydrated. However, it’s worth getting
checked out by a doctor because brown urine could also be
indicative of a problem in the liver.
“If there is liver disease or bile, some of the bile salts that the liver
should be processing and eliminating through stool are hanging
around in blood and ending up in urine — people with severe liver
disease can have brown urine,” he said. “That’s something that
can be determined rather quickly by a dip stick test of urine.”
If brownish urine is starting to worry you, consult your doctor to
get it checked out.
If you’re noticing shades of brown in your urine, it could simply be
a sign that you are dehydrated. However, it’s worth getting
checked out by a doctor because brown urine could also be
indicative of a problem in the liver.
“If there is liver disease or bile, some of the bile salts that the liver
should be processing and eliminating through stool are hanging
around in blood and ending up in urine — people with severe liver
disease can have brown urine,” he said. “That’s something that
can be determined rather quickly by a dip stick test of urine.”
If brownish urine is starting to worry you, consult your doctor to
get it checked out.
Pink to reddish
See an unexplained red hue in the bowl? That could be a major
problem.
“In urology, our most prominent (warning sign) is red, which, while
it can come from food you’ve eaten and other substances you’ve
ingested, if it is coming from blood it can often mean a problem.”
If you notice a pink or red tint to your urine — even once — it’s
worth seeing a doctor.
“There’s a huge list of conditions, both benign and malignant, that
can cause (blood in the urine), anything from medical kidney
disease to a UTI, stones in the kidneys or bladder or the more
serious cancers of the kidney, bladder, prostate,” he said.
Once a doctor analyses a urine sample, he will quickly be able to
determine if the pink or red tint is actually caused by blood or
something else — and can proceed with the appropriate course of
action.
See an unexplained red hue in the bowl? That could be a major
problem.
“In urology, our most prominent (warning sign) is red, which, while
it can come from food you’ve eaten and other substances you’ve
ingested, if it is coming from blood it can often mean a problem.”
If you notice a pink or red tint to your urine — even once — it’s
worth seeing a doctor.
“There’s a huge list of conditions, both benign and malignant, that
can cause (blood in the urine), anything from medical kidney
disease to a UTI, stones in the kidneys or bladder or the more
serious cancers of the kidney, bladder, prostate,” he said.
Once a doctor analyses a urine sample, he will quickly be able to
determine if the pink or red tint is actually caused by blood or
something else — and can proceed with the appropriate course of
action.
Blue or green
For most people, seeing blue or green urine in the toilet bowl
would be quite the shock — and urine of this colour is very rare.
While some little-known diseases,
including porphyria (an inherited enzyme condition) can result in a
person having blue or green urine, a change in urine colour
wouldn’t be the first sign of disease among sufferers.
Sometimes, people can urinate in strange colours after eating dyed
foods as well.
“It depends how well the dyes are absorbed by the gut and how
easily they pass into the kidney — there will be many food dyes
and substances that simply don’t get absorbed and make their way
out of the GI tract,” noting that this is why faeces
often contains various colours. “And when they do get excreted in
urine, they can certainly cause a change and there may be some
genetic factor in how that happens. But for many people, food dye
never affects them.”
Certain medications can also be responsible for bizarre changes in
urine colour..
For most people, seeing blue or green urine in the toilet bowl
would be quite the shock — and urine of this colour is very rare.
While some little-known diseases,
including porphyria (an inherited enzyme condition) can result in a
person having blue or green urine, a change in urine colour
wouldn’t be the first sign of disease among sufferers.
Sometimes, people can urinate in strange colours after eating dyed
foods as well.
“It depends how well the dyes are absorbed by the gut and how
easily they pass into the kidney — there will be many food dyes
and substances that simply don’t get absorbed and make their way
out of the GI tract,” noting that this is why faeces
often contains various colours. “And when they do get excreted in
urine, they can certainly cause a change and there may be some
genetic factor in how that happens. But for many people, food dye
never affects them.”
Certain medications can also be responsible for bizarre changes in
urine colour..
Non-colour factors
Does your urine smell weird? It’s probably nothing to fret about.
“Smell of the urine usually is not such a direct indicator of a
disease," ...“It’s much more of an indicator of foods
you’ve eaten or medications you may be taking.”
Sometimes, the consistency of urine can also appear strange — for
example, if urine looks foamier than usual. While this may simply
be a result of urinating with more force than usual, it can
occasionally be an indicator of a health-related symptom.
“While usually not an issue, just an effect of how strongly you’re
urinating, occasional foaminess can be a sign of protein in the
urine,”.
Protein in the urine can be indicative of a kidney problem — so if
you’re concerned, ask your doctor to perform a urine analysis.
Overall, people should feel comfortable talking to
their physician if they notice anything strange about their urine —
and should make sure that doctors always perform a urine
analysis during regular physicals.
“Urine is something that most of us look at our own several times
a day and will wonder about noticing urine colour
is a starting point for discussion with your doctor, not a way to
make final diagnoses.
Does your urine smell weird? It’s probably nothing to fret about.
“Smell of the urine usually is not such a direct indicator of a
disease," ...“It’s much more of an indicator of foods
you’ve eaten or medications you may be taking.”
Sometimes, the consistency of urine can also appear strange — for
example, if urine looks foamier than usual. While this may simply
be a result of urinating with more force than usual, it can
occasionally be an indicator of a health-related symptom.
“While usually not an issue, just an effect of how strongly you’re
urinating, occasional foaminess can be a sign of protein in the
urine,”.
Protein in the urine can be indicative of a kidney problem — so if
you’re concerned, ask your doctor to perform a urine analysis.
Overall, people should feel comfortable talking to
their physician if they notice anything strange about their urine —
and should make sure that doctors always perform a urine
analysis during regular physicals.
“Urine is something that most of us look at our own several times
a day and will wonder about noticing urine colour
is a starting point for discussion with your doctor, not a way to
make final diagnoses.
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