“Normal urine is pale yellow to amber in color and is clear. Darker urine is often a sign of dehydration. If you notice that your urine is darker than normal and you have no other symptoms, try drinking some more water and see if this helps your urine return to a lighter color,” Alyssa said.
The most optimal color for your urine is a pale yellow.
Seeing red or orange instead of the usual yellow can be alarming, especially if there are also symptoms like a burning sensation or pain with urination. The alarm may be justified: an abnormal urine color can be an early sign of a serious medical condition.
When kidneys are failing, the increased concentration and accumulation of substances in urine lead to a darker color which may be brown, red or purple. The color change is due to abnormal protein or sugar, high levels of red and white blood cells, and high numbers of tube-shaped particles called cellular casts.
And some medicines can give urine vivid tones, such as orange or greenish-blue. An unusual urine color also can be a sign of a health problem. For instance, some urinary tract infections can turn urine milky white. Kidney stones, some cancers and other diseases sometimes make urine look red due to blood.
Clear pee is most often a result of drinking a lot of water. But, in some cases, it can be a sign of an underlying health condition. In addition to overhydration, the most common causes of clear urine include kidney issues, diabetes, diabetes insipidus, medications, and pregnancy.
Pale or transparent yellow urine
Diabetes insipidus is a condition in which the body produces excess urine. It can cause people to pass large quantities of light-colored urine every time they urinate. It can also cause people to feel very thirsty, leading them to drink fluids frequently.
If your pee is bright yellow
The most common culprit is vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, which is found in most multivitamins. The neon color in pee is just a harmless sign that you're taking more than your body needs, and the excess is mixing with your pee.
If it's clear or straw-colored, then you're drinking sufficient fluid. If it becomes dark yellow or brown, then you are likely somewhat dehydrated,” says UCI Health urologist Dr. Ralph Clayman, a pioneer in the minimally invasive treatment of kidney disease.
“Normal urine is pale yellow to amber in color and is clear. Darker urine is often a sign of dehydration. If you notice that your urine is darker than normal and you have no other symptoms, try drinking some more water and see if this helps your urine return to a lighter color,” Alyssa said.
Healthy urine is usually a pale to medium yellow color, it's clear, and has a subtle pee odor. These characteristics tell you that you're drinking enough water, and nothing is visibly abnormal.
Because people tend to sleep for several hours without having a drink, their urine is normally darker when urinating first thing in the morning.
Smelly urine is usually caused by bacteria and fungi that live in the urinary tract. Therefore, smelly and yellow urine is highly likely related to urinary tract infection.
For most people, the normal number of times to urinate per day is between 6 – 7 in a 24 hour period. Between 4 and 10 times a day can also be normal if that person is healthy and happy with the number of times they visit the toilet.
If you see ants congregating around your urine, it likely means you have too much sugar in your system.
A small amount of glucose in your urine is normal. If a random urine sample shows more than 0.25mg/ml, this is considered glycosuria and can be caused by too high blood glucose levels, a problem with your kidney filters, or both.
Dark yellow urine is a sign that you are dehydrated and that you must drink more fluids to prevent dehydration. Your fluid intake goal is to make your urine no darker than the colour of # 3 on the chart. The darker colours (4-8) are signs of dehydration and may cause you to become ill.
Discolored urine
Another common symptom of kidney stones is blood in the urine. This can make your urine discolored red, pink, or even brown. Note: it's possible to have blood cells in your urine without any visible color changes.
If the kidneys are damaged or infected, a person can experience abnormal urination, including clear urination. They may also have other symptoms, such as painful urination or a fever. A set of rare conditions known as Bartter syndrome, or potassium wasting, can also cause a person to urinate frequently.