Do you know that your urine color can reveal a lot about your health? A quick peek into the toilet bowl can help you figure out how hydrated you are and more.
Changes in urine color are usually not a cause for concern. But, there are times that they can be signs of an underlying problem. Read on to gain some insights into what different urine colors mean.
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What Your Urine Color Says About Your Health
Click here to jump to the Dehydration Urine Color Chart Infographic.
What is Urine?
Urine is what our kidneys make when they filter our blood.
Our urine color changes based on how much fluid we have in the bloodstream. In this way, our urine can tell us how hydrated or dehydrated we are.
Urine also contains traces of thousands of different substances mixed in water. So urine is like a thermometer for the body. Not that it tells you the temperature, but it tells you what’s going on inside the body.
What Color Should Urine Be
Healthy Urine Color | What Color is Healthy Urine
There isn’t one exact hue that’s considered the gold standard of normal urine. But your pee should fall somewhere on the yellow spectrum.
Urine gets its yellow color from urobilin. Urobilin, also known as urochrome, is a compound excreted by your kidneys. Our kidneys are the organs that filter our blood and produce pee.
What Does Straw-Colored Urine Mean?
If your pee looks like a transparent shade of yellow or pale straw, that’s also a good sign that you’re well hydrated. This urine color is very diluted from water that you don’t see a tinge of yellow. It looks clear.
What Causes Changes in Urine Color
Dehydration affects the color of urine. In general, the more water you drink, the clearer your urine will look.
Dark yellow pigment from bile makes urine appear darker – even brown!
If you’re not drinking enough water, your body loses more water than it takes in. Your body then becomes dehydrated. And when you’re not getting enough liquids, your urine becomes brown. Sometimes even light amber or deep orange!
Fluids dilute the yellow pigments in urine, so the more you drink, the clearer your urine looks.
When you drink less, the color becomes more concentrated. Severe dehydration can produce urine the color of amber.
How does dehydration affect urine?
If you’re dehydrated, your body sucks water back into your body from the kidney.
Your body takes water out of urine back to the bloodstream as its coping mechanism. Your urine then becomes much more concentrated with much less water. Add to that all the solutes, proteins, and other stuff in your urine.
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Fatigue
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Bad Breath
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Muscle Cramps
Try upping your water intake. Doctors recommend 1.5 to 2 liters of water daily besides other fluids. If that doesn’t help, schedule an appointment with your doctor to rule out any other issues.
Pee Color Meaning | Color of Urine Meaning
- Dark Yellow Urine
- Dark Brown Urine Color
- Red Tinged Urine
- Blue or Green Urine Colors
- Orange Urine Color
Dark Yellow Urine
If you see a darker shade of yellow in the bowl or a different color altogether, this could be a sign of trouble.
If your pee is dark yellow like amber or honey or dark orange, you might not be consuming enough water.
Urine also changes color depending on how much our kidney has filtered. The kidney filters blood and regulates how much water is in your body and bloodstream.
Dark Brown Urine Color
If your pee looks dark brown like black tea, ask yourself, did I recently eat rhubarb fava beans or aloe? These foods can lend your pee a brownish hue.
Yet, dark brown urine can also mean severe dehydration. Dark brown urine color is past dark yellow or orange urine stages. You’re so dehydrated that your urine is turning brown. It is your body screaming for more fluids and could damage your kidneys.
When you don’t have enough water to hydrate and get your kidneys going, it affects many organs.
Have you recently had a urologic procedure? If so, brown urine could also be the result of blood dissolving in your pee.
Another possible concern has to do with your liver. Then your liver isn’t working well. The extra bilirubin in your blood can lead to urine tinted a darker color.
If you have a history of melanoma, keep an eye out for brown tinge urine. Brown-tinged urine can be a sign that the cancer is progressing. If you’re noticing dark brown pee, schedule an appointment with your doctor.
Red Tinged Urine
If your urine has a pink or red tinge, you may blame something you ate, like blueberries, beets, or rhubarb.
As with other suspicious urine colors, medications are a potential culprit. For example, antibiotic rifampin turns a toilet bowl a shade of rouge.
But if you are not taking any of these medications. And you aren’t filling your plate with red or purple-hued foods; it could be a tint of blood that’s making your pee pink.
Make an appointment with your doctor to rule out a UTI, kidney stones, or another condition.
Sometimes blood in the toilet could also come from other places and be nothing. It could mean that you wipe too hard or something like that.
The blood in the toilet you would want to investigate is the dark red burgundy urine color.
Blue or Green Urine ColorsÂ
Blue or green urine colors are often harmless.
But, the green or blue dye in something you ate could be the cause of your cool-toned tingles. For example, asparagus can lend a green tinge to pee besides its infamous smell.
Heartburn reducers to muscle relaxers can also make your pee blue or green.
These urine colors may also be signs of uncommon urinary infections. For example, fungus and yeast can cause urine to look a greenish hint.
There’s a bacteria called pseudomonas. Its presence in the urine can give it a green hue. Usually, there’s an odor and other signs of infection. Two signs of illness are burning pain and fevers.
Blue or green urine can be a rare genetic disorder familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia.
Orange Urine Color
Medications Causing Urine Color Changes
Different pigments in the food you eat or medication you take can change the color of urine as they pass through our digestive tract. As a result, our urine color can vary depending on what we’ve eaten. While many changes are benign, some could indicate that a dangerous health condition like diabetes develops.
Phenazopyridine Urine Color
Pyridium Urine Color
Pyridium (phenazopyridine) treats pain and other symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI).
The active component of Pyridium is a reddish-brown powder. So, you may notice orange or dark urine while taking this medication.
Your urine might take on an orange or crimson color if your body breaks it down.
The longer phenazopyridine stays in your system, the more it breaks down. The more phenazopyridine breaks down, the more it causes urine to turn orange.
Drink extra water to flush phenazopyridine out of your system faster. And avoid the discoloration of your urine.
It’s easy to spot, but it’s difficult to remove. It stains your clothing and undergarments. The medication may also tarnish contact lenses, so you’ll want to wear glasses when taking them.
- Phenazopyridine is a treatment for pain for a urinary tract infection or UTI. Pyridium is a brand of phenazopyridine.
- Sulfasalazine is a treatment for ulcerative colitis.
Here’s an infographic guide that you can use. Feel free to download, save and share it with your loved ones:
What Color is Your Urine Supposed to Be
The meaning of urine colors is not specific enough to tell you what’s going on.
Normal variations of urine are normal.
When it comes to your pee, a mellow shade of yellow is best.
Sometimes your diet or medication can change things up.
If you see a change in your urine’s quality and color with the other symptoms present, it is best to consult a healthcare professional. Contact your healthcare provider if you’re concerned about what you see before you flush.
Worried that you might have a Urinary Tract Infection? Check out this video to check its Symptoms:
Knowing what is going on with your pee can be a little tricky. Any factors could change the color and quality of urine. But it’s not always clear-cut what these changes mean.
If you see any other symptoms with this change, it is best to talk with a healthcare provider.
Drink more fluids to stay hydrated and keep things running well.
Have questions or concerns? Lease let us know your problems in the comments section below! We are always happy to hear from you!
Have questions or concerns? Lease let us know your problems in the comments section below! We are always happy to hear from you!
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