Urine is produced when the kidneys filter water and wastes out of the blood. It travels from the kidneys, through the ureters into the bladder, and it goes outside through the urethra. Urine can tell a person a lot about their health and what is going on inside the body. Its color, smell and consistency give a lot of clues of the well-being of the internal organs. It does not always mean is something serious, however, you should never ignore the changes you notice.
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The color of urine is a very important symptom for many diseases and it has always been used for diagnosis in the medicine. Therefore, you might want to check the color of your urine more often to see if you are in good health.
Color of the Urine
The yellow pigment in the urine changes its color depending on many factors. Mostly, it is due to how much water or fluids you drink. So, the more you drink the clearer the color is, and the less you drink the more concentrated your urine is. However, sometimes the urine can have really unusual colors like blue, green, pink, etc. This discoloration may be caused by certain food, food colors, medications, or some specific health problems.
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Transparent or No Color
If your urine is clear, it may be a sign of being well-hydrated. However, it could also mean that you are drinking too much water and you are increasing the risk of water intoxication. If you drink more water that you need, you might cause a lot of harm to your organism since your body will start diluting the salts more than it should. This does not mean you have serious health problems, but you need to go low on drinking water.
Additionally, if your urine is too much transparent, it could also be a sign of diabetes. If this is a case you will experience thirst all the time, and frequent need for urination.
Pale Straw Urine
Lighter shades indicate that you are well-hydrated. This is the normal color of your urine and it means that your body is healthy.
Transparent Yellow
This color also means you are perfectly healthy. So, whatever you do you need to keep it that way since transparent yellow is a great indicator.
Dark Yellow (Amber or Honey)
Most often this is a sign that you are not drinking enough water. If you do not drink the recommended amount of water during the day, your urine becomes more concentrated with waste, thus its dark color. It is also accompanied by a strong odor. It can be easily turned back to normal if you drink enough water.
There are also some illnesses that can cause darker urine color. Hepatitis can make your urine darker since it causes inflammation of the liver, usually caused by viral infection or alcohol consumption. Also the urine can turn darker because of haemolytic anemia.
Brown Ale Urine (Syrup)
This discoloration may result from eating certain foods, taking some medications or becoming dehydrated. In case of dehydration, the kidneys make sure that that the body will hold more water to compensate for the lack of fluids in it so that it can function properly. Therefore, the urine is more concentrated. In this case, you need to refuel the body with fluids.
Liver disease also causes brown urine. If you have liver problems, the bile salts that the body eliminates with feces end up in the urine and cause hepatitis or inflammation of the liver. In this case do not hesitate to check with your doctor.
Orange Urine
This is another color that indicates that your body is dehydrated. When the urine is highly concentrated it turns to orange. Another reason your urine is orange may be because you are taking high doses of vitamin C or beta-carotene, which turn your urine bright yellow or orange.
The urine can turn orange as a result of several medical issues. Sometimes, orange urine may indicate problems with the liver or bile duct, or it can be food poisoning. These problems will also be accompanied by light-colored stools. Also, chemotherapy drugs can damage your bladder and your kidneys, which can cause discoloration.
Red or Pink Urine
Your urine might turn to pink or red if you consumed some food that has this color like beets, blueberries, blackberries or rhubarb.
However, if you haven’t eaten anything like this, it may be because of blood in the urine, a condition called hematuria. This can be caused by enlarged prostate, infections in the urinary tract, kidney cyst, cancerous or noncancerous tumors, bladder stone or too much running. It is often accompanied by pain during urination.
The urine can also turn red or pink if you use certain medications. Usually, antibiotics that are used to treat tuberculosis or some chemotherapy drugs can cause discoloration of the urine. Some of these numb the urinary tract discomfort and some of them are laxatives and they can turn the urine reddish to orange color.
Blue or Green Urine
This can rarely happen, and it often does because of food coloring. Foods that have bright color can cause your urine to turn green. However, if you have not eaten anything blue or green, you should check if you have any health problem. Blue or green urine can be a sign of bacterial infection in the urinary tract caused by pseudomonas bacteria.
Some medications like diuretics, antibiotics, Viagra, and other drugs that use blue or green dye can cause discoloration. The urine can also turn blue because of a genetic disease like familial benign hypercalcemia, which is a rare inherited disorder that turns the urine blue.
Smell of the Urine
Usually, the smell of the urine depends of the food a person has been eating or medications that they have been taking. If the urine smells unusual, it is rarely something serious. You should start worrying if the smell is accompanied by other changes.
Consistency of the Urine
Cloudy Urine
If you notice your urine is milky, it might signify that there is microscopic blood in it. Moreover, it can be due to urinary tract infection, kidney stones, or bladder infection. In addition, sexually transmitted diseases or vaginal discharge can also turn the urine cloudy.
Foamy or Fizzy Urine
This is usually nothing to worry about since it is rarely a sign of something serious. Fizzy urine might be a result of urinating with more force than usual.
However, in some cases, it indicates that your body has excess of proteins, and this can be an indicator of kidney or gallbladder problems. In this case you need to see your doctor to check your urine.
