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People may not speak politely about urine, but it says a lot about you.
Its smell, consistency and color are all important signs that reveal your lifestyle and health, changing depending on what you have just eaten or consumed recently. They can indicate various illnesses you might not even suspect.
Urine consists mainly of water (at least 95%), but the remainder is a complex mixture of components that includes urea, chloride, sodium, potassium, creatinine and other soluble ions, and various inorganic and organic substances.
The most common urine color is yellow, which is caused by the presence of urobilin. It is a biochemical waste product created from the breakdown of old red blood cells.
Your body produces about two million new red blood cells every day and disposes of the same number of old ones.
In the following part of the article you can read the meaning of the different colors of your urine:
1. Clear urine color
Looks like water.
Colorless urine may indicate overhydration of the body. Although it’s not as dangerous as dehydration, excessive hydration can dilute essential salts like electrolytes, creating an unpleasant chemical imbalance in the blood.
2. Light yellow urine color
Has a light straw color.
It’s normal and indicates that you are well hydrated. Keep up the great work.
3. Cloudy urine color
Looks like a dirty Martini.
If your urine has the appearance of a dirty Martini, you may have a bladder infection. The cloudiness comes from mucus, tissues and proteins that are damaged and clumping together.
4. Pale yellow urine color
Looks like lemonade.
You may be dehydrated. Take some time to drink water.
5. Dark yellow urine color
Looks like apple juice.
But seriously, you haven’t drunk anything, have you? Besides lack of water, intense use of B vitamins could also contribute to this.
6. Orange color
Looks like rice.
OK, now you are truly dehydrated and need water! “An orange-colored urine may also indicate the presence of bilirubin, which is a yellow-colored byproduct of the natural breakdown of old red blood cells,” warns Jill Buckley from the internal clinic at the University of California.
It could also be caused by a gallstone that blocks the bile ducts, releasing bilirubin, or by liver disease. Some medications for urinary tract infections may help you.
7. Pink urine color
Looks like White Zinfandel.
Did you eat a lot of beetroot last night? Because it could be because of that. But the problem could equally be in your blood. “A single drop of blood in urine will color it pink,” says Sur.
While a general practitioner might not make a big deal of it, Sur says that any blood in the urine requires the attention of a urologist because it could be caused by an infection, or point to early stages of bladder cancer.
Most likely it is not cancer, but better safe than sorry.
8. Darker pink urine color
Looks like Cabernet.
This color may indicate that there is more blood in the urine, which can be a sign of a potential bladder infection or cancer. Kidney stones, which affect about 10% of the population, can also cause blood in the urine, as can less common urinary stones.
9. Dark pink urine color
Looks like red wine.
OK, that’s a large amount of blood. And what’s even more worrying is the fact that it could be old blood, which darkens if an embolism occurs, or if the blood degrades. “The presence of old blood is very concerning because it indicates a significant amount of blood,” warns Sur.
Mistakes are always in care: If there is a large amount (possibly old) blood, I want to flag an internal problem. We can be concerned, but cancer cannot be diagnosed other than by a blood test.
10. Brown urine color
Looks like coffee.
Certain medications, such as chloroquine for treating malaria and the antibiotic metronidazole, can cause Coca-Cola-colored urine. According to the Mayo Clinic, overeating fava beans or rhubarb can also cause it.
A coffee-colored appearance of urine can also be caused by liver and kidney disease, or by excessively strenuous exercise. Your muscles use the red pigment myoglobin, which binds oxygen and converts it into energy.
If you overdo it at the gym and cause significant muscle damage, myoglobin can leak into the bloodstream and subsequently into the urine, causing its dark brown coloration.
Definitely see a doctor to have your urine myoglobin levels checked. Too high levels of myoglobin can overwhelm your kidneys and lead to their failure.
11. Blue / green urine color
Looks, for example, like a green shot.
It’s possible that you consume a lot of foods containing synthetic dyes, which give your urine a carnival color.
Most likely, however, it is a side effect of drugs, such as Uribe, which is used to treat urinary tract infections.
This phenomenon comes from methylene, which has a blue color. It’s nothing to worry about.
Continue taking the medication while drinking enough water and enjoy this spectacle.
If you want to find out what causes the coloring of your urine, take a look at the image above.
