“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.
As a general rule of thumb, it's usually a good sign for your health when the color of your urine is a pale shade of yellow. If you have urine that resembles another color, you should be aware that this is not normal. Abnormal colored urine may look clear, orange/brown/amber, pink/red, or even green/blue.
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.
Health Clues From Color
An orange urine could indicate a serious liver condition. Darker brown can be caused by foods or medication. Cloudy urine can indicate the presence of phosphates which can lead to kidney stones. Urine that's consistently foamy and frothy suggests a possible kidney issue.
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.
Bright yellow pee, even as dark as amber, may be harmless, but it could be a sign that you're a little dehydrated or taking more vitamins than your body needs. You may want to check with your provider on what vitamins your body doesn't need as much so you can cut back.
Urine that is dark orange, amber, cola-coloured or brown can be a sign of liver disease. The colour is due to too much bilirubin building up because the liver isn't breaking it down normally. Swollen abdomen (ascites). Ascites happens because fluid is retained in the abdomen.
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.
High-dose vitamins can turn your pee a bright, almost neon-yellow color. 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.
Bright yellow urine is harmless, and is just a sign that you are taking more vitamins than your body needs. You may want to check with your doctor on what vitamins your body does not need as much of so you can cut back.
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.
If you see ants congregating around your urine, it likely means you have too much sugar in your system.
Because people tend to sleep for several hours without having a drink, their urine is normally darker when urinating first thing in the morning.
Normally, urine doesn't have any bilirubin. If there is bilirubin n your urine, it may be an early sign of a liver condition. Bilirubin is a yellow substance that your body makes during the normal process of breaking down red blood cells.
Dark yellow urine might indicate that you have a severe infection, an underlying kidney condition or it could additionally mean that you are dehydrated: Temporary conditions or medication affecting the liver and kidneys can also sometimes cause this effect.
Riboflavin is a member of the B family of vitamins (B complex). It's a water-soluble vitamin. Excess amounts are excreted through your kidneys. It makes the urine bright yellow.
No, bright yellow urine doesn't mean that you're not absorbing your vitamins. Any vitamin that's mixing with your pee is a water-soluble vitamin, and any amount of it that your body doesn't need simply gets excreted through the urine. That means your body is taking in what it needs.