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Why You Should Pay Attention To Your Urine Color

The color of your urine is a good indicator of your health. Most people don’t bother to check it out when they use the bathroom, but it’s obvious when something is off with the color. It seems like something you don’t want to spend much time thinking about, but your urine is usually one of the first indicators something is wrong with your health. Rest assured that changes in your urine color don’t necessarily mean there is a major health issue at stake, but it usually means you want to take note.

Pale Yellow and Gold Urine

If your urine is somewhere in this color range, you’re good to go. It’s considered the normal range, and it means your good health is intact. It’s the color your body makes urine, and it means your body is still producing the correct pigments and chemicals needed to show off good health in most cases. Normal urine certainly doesn’t mean you’re perfectly healthy, though. Many illnesses and other health issues can be present without notifying your urine to change color.

Clear Urine

When your urine is clear, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s not usually this color, but it means one of two things. Either you’re drinking plenty of water and living a pretty healthy lifestyle, or you’re taking a diuretic. Excessive water intake changes the color of urine without much effort. If you’re taking a diuretic, you’re cleaning out your system. This means you’re flushing out all the waste and using the bathroom more often than usual. Clear urine does not indicate any health issues whatsoever.

Dark Urine

The darker your urine appears might mean something else entirely. As it becomes darker, your body is likely dehydrated. As urine approaches a shade of brown, get water into your system immediately. Becoming dehydrated is dangerous, and you certainly don’t want to continue on that path. This typically occurs when you aren’t feeling well or when you aren’t taking care of yourself. Drink water regularly, and this won’t be a problem for your health. If it’s not dehydration, it could indicate your liver is not functioning correctly. It’s easy to tell if you’re dehydrated since you know how much water you’ve consumed. If your urine changes to this color and you know dehydration is not the problem, call your doctor immediately.

Orange Urine

When your urine is orange, it’s worth calling the doctor. It might be a liver issue, but it could also be dehydration. Most commonly, however, it’s nothing more than medication. Certain medications can change the color of your urine, so call the doctor and ask them to explain what it might be.

Pink and/or Red Urine

Certain prescription medications cause urine to change into a shade of pink or red. Call the doctor to ask if any medications you’re taking could cause this issue. if it’s not that, it might be what you’re eating. Certain foods cause this color change, and it’s nothing to worry about. If you’ve overdosed on rhubarb, blackberries, carrots, or beets recently, you are probably just fine.

Green and/or Blue Urine

This is probably the most concerning color palette when it comes to your urine. Certain very rare medical conditions turn the urine these colors, in which case you must call the doctor immediately. However, certain foods with blue or green dyes can also change the color of your urine, and promethazine is a medication for allergy sufferers that also has the same effect on urine.

Most of the time, color change in the urine is a very minor problem. If you are concerned, you can call your doctor and make an appointment. It’s safer to keep in mind whether or not there is foam in your urine. This means the presence of protein, which is a problem in the kidneys. Call the doctor anytime you worry about the color of your urine.