Rarely anyone gives any thoughts on the colour and consistency
of their urine, but you should know that the smell, consistency and colour of
this liquid can say a lot about the state of your health. Urine consists of 95%
water and other components such as urea, creatinine, potassium, dissolved ions
and inorganic and organic compounds. The usual colour of the liquid is yellow
due to the presence of urobilin, a waste product that appears due to the
breakdown of old red blood cells.
Here’s what the different colour of your urine means:
1.
Transparent
Colourless urine is a sign of overhydration, which can water
down electrolytes in your body and cause a chemical imbalance.
2.
Light yellow
This is the normal colour of the urine and indicates that you’re
well, hydrated.
3.
Cloudy
Cloudy urine may be a sign of a bladder infection. The cloudy
colour comes from the extra mucus, tissues and proteins that are broken down and
coalesce in the body.
4.
Medium yellow
This is a sign of dehydration, so you should increase your water
intake immediately.
5.
Dark yellow
A dark yellow colour means serious dehydration. Start drinking
something immediately (preferably water or tea)! Dark yellow urine colour might
also be a side-effect of excess vitamin B intake.
6.
Orange
Orange colour urine means that there’s too much bilirubin in your
body which is a by-product of old red blood cell breakdown. Orange urine colour
could also appear as a result of a gallstone obstructing the bile duct. It
could also indicate liver disease, or appear as a result of taking some urinary
tract infections medications.
7.
Pink
Although your urine may turn pink as a result of beet
consumption, it could also mean that there’s some blood in your urine, which is
never a good sign. If your urine has suddenly turned pink, we suggest you visit
your urologist in order to make sure there’s nothing wrong.
8.
Darker pink
This is an indication of more than a drop of blood in your urine
and may be caused by a bladder infection or cancer. Another cause might be kidney
or bladder stones. Whatever the cause, it needs to be resolved sooner rather
than later.
9.
Dark pink
Dark pink urine means that there’s too much blood in your urine,
and indicates that the bleeding has been left untreated for a while. In many
cases, dark pink urine turns out to be caused by cancer, so you want to check
the symptom at a doctor right away.
10.
Brown
Certain medications such as the anti-malarial chloroquine or the
antibiotic metronidazole can turn your urine colour to brown. However, this
colour often indicates liver and kidney disorders as well as too much exercise.
When working out, your muscles use myoglobin for energy, so if you’re
exercising frequently, it can leak into your bloodstream and get to your
urine. If you notice your urine colour has changed to brown, take a myoglobin
test at a doctor as excess myoglobin can result in kidney failure.
11.
Blue or green urine
Eating a diet rich in foods full of synthetic dyes is the usual
cause for blue or green urine. The jello-o-like urine may also be a result of
medications such as Uribel as the drug contains a compound called methylene
blue. Blue or green urine is usually nothing to be concerned about, but make sure
to drink a lot of water as well in order to dissolve the colour.
Look at the chart below to see what your urine colour tells about
your health:
Source : www.naturehealthandbeauty.com