When you're healthy and hydrated, your urine should fall somewhere between colorless and the color of light straw and honey. When you don't consume enough fluids, your urine becomes more concentrated and turns a darker yellow or amber color.
Clear to light yellow urine
Congratulations, you're well hydrated! Pale yellow to clear urine means you're giving your body the fluids it needs. “When you're healthy and hydrated, your urine color should actually have very little color to it, from light yellow to clear,” Dr. Wolach said.
The most optimal color for your urine is a pale yellow. If it is a darker yellow or orange, it can mean you are becoming dehydrated. An orange urine could indicate a serious liver condition. Darker brown can be caused by foods or medication.
Is clear urine always a good thing? In most cases, clear urine is a sign that you're well hydrated. And that's a positive thing because good hydration helps your body function at its best. But, in some cases, clear pee may mean that you're drinking too much water and you're too hydrated.
If a person experiences clear urine, they do not usually need to take any further action. Clear urine is a sign of good hydration and a healthy urinary tract. However, if they consistently notice clear urine and also have extreme or unusual thirst, it is best to speak to a doctor.
If your urine is clear and you're not on a water pill or drinking a lot of water, it may signal an underlying kidney problem or possibly diabetes.
When your kidneys are failing, a high concentration and accumulation of substances lead to brown, red, or purple urine. Studies suggest the urine color is due to abnormal protein or sugar as well as high numbers of cellular casts and red and white blood cells.
It is normal for urine to change color with levels of hydration. Pale or transparent yellow urine typically indicates sufficient hydration, while darker yellow or amber urine may be a sign of dehydration. Certain food and medications can also change urine color.
Transparent and lacking in color
Transparent, colorless urine could also be a sign of some other health disorders, including diabetes and kidney disease, or from taking diuretic medication.
Clear urine is a sign of good hydration and potential overhydration. Pale yellow urine is an indicator of good hydration. Dark yellow urine is a sign to drink more fluids. Amber-colored urine can indicate dehydration.
When you're dehydrated and your pee gets very concentrated, it can smell strongly of ammonia. If you catch a whiff of something really strong before you flush, it might also be a sign of a UTI, diabetes, a bladder infection, or metabolic diseases.
Typically, the lighter your pee, the better. As already mentioned, urine that is completely transparent could mean that you're drinking too much water. This can easily be fixed by drinking a sports drink.
Regular urine color ranges from clear to pale yellow. But certain things can change the color. Foods such as beets, blackberries and fava beans can turn urine pink or red, for example. And some medicines can give urine vivid tones, such as orange or greenish-blue.
When everything is healthy and normal, your urine should be pale yellow to gold. It is helpful to regularly pay attention to your urination to see what your normal color is, so that you can tell when it is different.
Bright yellow urine is a sign of excess B-vitamins in the body, including B-2 and B-12, although this condition is harmless. Taking B-vitamin supplements can lead to urine of this color. The yellow color darkens as the concentration of the urine increases.
Drinking too much fluid during the evening can cause you to urinate more often during the night. Caffeine and alcohol after dinner can also lead to this problem. Other common causes of urination at night include: Infection of the bladder or urinary tract.
In order to measure the amount of sugar in your urine, you need a urine test strip and a container for collecting urine. It's important to talk with your doctor about the best time of day to do the urine test, and whether to do it before or after eating.
When you have not drank enough fluids your kidneys try to save as much water as they can and cause your urine to be darker in colour (more concentrated). Dark yellow urine is a sign that you are dehydrated and that you must drink more fluids to prevent dehydration.
Most people have two kidneys, one on either side of the spine under the lower ribs. They are bean-shaped and reddish brown in colour.
The usual color of urine is straw-yellow. Abnormally-colored urine may be cloudy, dark, or blood-colored.
Foamy, frothy or bubbly urine.
Drink Plenty of Fluids to Flush Out Bacteria — But Don't Overdo It. Drinking plenty of water — six to eight glasses daily — can flush bacteria out of your urinary tract and help prevent bladder infections.