The colour of your urine may point to more than your hydration levels.

Let’s be honest, when we go to the bathroom, how many of us tend to glance down and well, erm, pay attention to our urine before we flush it down the toilet? But do you know that our urine’s colour, smell and even how it felt while passing can tell us quite a bit about what’s going on with our body?

Urine is basically liquid waste made up of water, salt, urea and uric acid and is made by the kidneys which filter out the toxins in the blood. The factors that affect your urine include medication, food and certain illnesses.

So, without further ado, here are a few pointers on what the colour of your urine may mean (note that these are only indications or hints and by no means a medical diagnosis, always consult your doctor if you felt something is off) :

Red

Don’t panic yet! Eating beets, blackberries or dragon fruit can turn your urine red or pinkish. The compounds that give these dark coloured fruits their colour, are excreted in our urine and this explains why.

If you’ve not eaten any of these foods, for women, it could be your period but if it isn’t that time of the month or you’re a man, please do see a doctor for a check-up just to make sure that there are no major health issues which is causing your urine to turn to this shade.

Orange

Eating too much beta-carotene (the yellow or orange pigment found in carrots and papayas) could cause your urine to become orange. Additionally, medications such as high-dosage vitamin B2, or the drug to treat Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) called phenazopyridine could turn your urine orange too.

However, there’s also a possibility that it may point to a liver or bile duct problem.

Neon Yellow

Not just yellow, but fluorescent yellow urine could point to your intake of vitamin B. There’s no cause for alarm but it’s just a possible side effect of your vitamins. If you find the colour a little off putting, do check with your friendly neighbourhood pharmacist if they can recommend a different brand of Vitamin B.

Green

If the smell doesn’t tell you, asparagus could turn your urine green. Don’t feel bad if you can’t smell it because only certain people have it in their genetic makeup to be able to detect the smell of ‘asparagus pee’ 😉

However, if you haven’t had asparagus, green urine could mean a UTI called proteus infection which could cause kidney stones.

Blue

Blue urine seems to be a real cause for alarm but it could just be from the dyes in your food or medication.

Foamy

Having foamy urine now and then is alright due to the speed of urination and more. However, if you notice your urine becoming foamier, this could be a sign of protein in your urine which may indicate a serious kidney problem.

All in all, do take note of your urine next time but do remember not to jump to conclusions. If you continue to have abnormal coloured urine or once you feel any pain during urination, please do seek medical advice to make sure that everything is fine.

The Power Of Urine

A hormone called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) is produced by your placenta after an embryo is attached to your uterine lining. This is the hormone that is detected during a urine pregnancy test. If Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) is present in your urine, this is a sign that you are pregnant! Congratulations!