What the colour of your urine says about your health

You do it several times a day, but do you ever stop and take a look at the colour of your urine? 

While
most rarely give it a second thought, the colour of your urine can tell
you so much about the state of your health. The various colours of your
urine indicate everything from dehydration to disease, so making the
most of that routine trip to the toilet could save your life. 

We
flushed out an expert on the subject, urological surgeon Dr. Howard
Evans of the Alberta Urology Institute and the University of Alberta’s
Division of Urology, to break down the lighter and darker shades of
pale, and what they mean.

 Crystal Clear

You
might think transparency is a good thing, and it is. Mostly. Dr. Evans
says clear urine can also be a sign you’re taking in too many fluids,
and that’s not good. 

“If
your urine is really clear, as clear as water, you may be
over-hydrated,” he says. “But it’s rare to over-hydrate. We all err on
the side of under-hydration.” In fact, he says many people who
over-hydrate are obsessed, and that can be dangerous. 

“The
risk is that your sodium level, which needs to stay at a nice solid
level in your body, can drop, and if it drops too low it can be
critical. Your kidneys work to maintain a certain level, but if you
present them with too much water they start spilling electrolytes out,
sodium being one of them.” 

So
what’s too much? Four or five litres a day, says the good doctor, but
you really have to be guzzling non-stop to consume that much. 

Straw or Pale Yellow

This is the holy grail of output — a mellow yellow that tells you all is good. 

Urine
is made up of water, urea, sodium chloride, potassium chloride,
phosphates, uric acid, organic salts and a bile derivative called
urobilin, which gives pee its normal yellow colour. When all those
elements are in balance, so are you. 

Urine
will be naturally darker and more concentrated first thing in the
morning, since most people generally don’t drink in their sleep, but
should lighten up as the day goes on and fluid intake goes up. 

Brownish-Orange

If your urine is dark to the point of brown, you’re dehydrated – but this has a quick fix. 

If
you’ve been over-indulging in rhubarb or fava beans, however, those
could be the culprits, in which case that’s another quick fix. 

Similarly
with orange urine: you’re dehydrated or have ingested food dye. Also,
some vitamins, such as B-complex and C, can turn urine a deep, sometimes
fluorescent, yellow. 

If
none of these applies, and if re-hydration doesn’t clear it up, you
could have liver or bile duct troubles, particularly if you have
associated factors such as pale stools and yellow eyes and skin, in
which case a trip to the doc is highly recommended. 

Pinkish-Red

Unless you’ve chowed down on a ton of beets or berries, you don’t want to see red in the toilet. 

That’s
most certainly blood, an indication of a host of potential problems,
from benign to malignant. Urinary tract infection, kidney or bladder
stones, kidney disease and the more serious kidney, bladder or prostate
cancers are some of the possibilities, particularly if the bleeding is
painless, a signal something more serious is afoot. 

“A
little light red you want to be looked at, but if you’re seeing
particulate matter, you should get in quite quickly,” says Dr. Evans. 

Long-distance runners and extreme exercisers can also get pinky-red urine due to muscle breakdown, he says, but that’s unusual. 

Blue or Green

If
red urine sets off alarm bells, imagine seeing blue or green splashing
around the toilet bowl. Fortunately, this is as rare as a leprechaun in
spring, although it can indicate a little-known inherited enzyme disease
called porphyria. 

Usually
it’s simply a sign of what you’ve swallowed, such as certain
medications or food dyes that don’t get absorbed and pass out through
the GI tract. 

“If
your kids have been eating blue-frosted cupcakes at a birthday party,
or you’ve been drinking green beer at a St. Patrick’s Day party, that’s
usually your answer,” says Dr. Evans. 

If none of these applies, however, “go see someone because you might have something weird going on,” he says. 

White, Cloudy

Most people immediately suspect infection when their pee turns cloudy, but that’s not the whole story. 

“The
most common reason is you have phosphates in your urine,” says Dr.
Evans, which is harmless if you’re not having associated symptoms such
as pain, blood or constant urination. 

“It
sometimes can point to kidney problems, [meaning] you’re spilling
phosphates from your kidneys which would normally go back into your
bloodstream. Otherwise, if you have cloudy urine and you drink some
extra water and it goes away, that’s a benign thing; you’ve got some
phosphates in there or some other element that’s making your urine
cloudy.” 

Froth and Foam

Usually
caused by the strength of your stream, foamy urine can also indicate
protein in your pee, which can be a sign of kidney trouble. 

“A
foamy, frothy top to the urine can be a sign of a lot of protein, most
common in people with kidney disease,” says Dr. Evans. 

“Generally
speaking, you shouldn’t have any protein in your urine because your
kidneys filter it out. But if the pores in your kidney filter get
thicker then the bigger proteins can get through and that’s when you get
the problems.”

If excess bubbles aren’t the result of a fire-hose flow, see a doctor.

Scent of a Veggie

Smelly
pee is not usually a sign anything is amiss, it’s more likely an
indicator of medications you’re taking or foods you’ve eaten. 

“The
classic ‘asparagus urine’ is a genetic condition,” says Dr. Evans.
“There are some people who have a gene that if they eat asparagus, the
first urination afterwards smells very odd. Also, more concentrated
urine will have a stronger smell. Most infected urine, however, doesn’t
smell that bad.”

Bottom Line 

“If
you see a change in the colour of your urine, drink more water for the
next couple of hours and see what happens,” says Dr. Evans. “If things
get much better, you have your answer; you were probably just a little
dehydrated.” 

He
says normal output is about two litres a day (four or five trips to the
loo), because you should be taking in two litres of fluid a day. And
that fluid should, ideally, be plain old tap water, he says. 

“We’re
made of 65 per cent water; that’s something we need to [maintain]. If
water is not palatable enough for you, throw a bit of lemon juice in it.
But water truly is the best thing because that’s what’s keeping you
healthy. When you’re properly hydrated you’re going to feel better, look
better, your skin will be better, you’ll have more energy, you’ll be
more alert. In this day and age when people are looking for the next
quick fix, guess what? Just turn the tap on, have a glass of water.”

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