Your Urine, What it can Tell You

A previous post talked about your POOP; this one discusses what your urine can tell you.

I was taught in chemistry courses that normal human urine should be “straw-colored” or very pale yellow, clear (not cloudy), and fairly odorless.  Any deviation from that color, clearness, and odor is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong…

For example:

Cloudy or Murky

If your urine is cloudy or murky instead of clear, it could mean you have too much protein in your urine.  This excess of protein may indicate that your kidneys are not functioning properly due to kidney stones, a tumor, or other disease states.  Cloudiness can also indicate a bladder, vaginal or urinary tract infection. Extreme cloudiness (so cloudy that it is almost milky) can indicate the presence of fat or mucus.

Colourful Urine

Urine that is dark yellow usually indicates dehydration.  Although your first output of the day is typically darker yellow and more concentrated, especially if you have had a good night’s sleep, it should not stay that way throughout the day.

Although some medications may cause orange urine, an extremely dark orange colour can indicate impaired liver function caused by a blockage or obstruction, infection, cirrhosis, or hepatitis.

Urine that deviates from the yellow color to pink, red or dark brown often means there is blood present.  This can indicate a urinary tract or bladder infection, an enlarged prostate gland, or the presence of a tumor.

Some foods and supplements or vitamins can cause your urine to be discolored and or exhibit a pungent odor.  Examples include curry, garlic, beets, berries, asparagus, and B vitamins.  Synthetic dyes in medications, vitamins, and some food can result in a blue or green tinge.  

Smelly Urine

Urine that smells like sulfur or just funny is usually food-related. An ammonia-like smell usually indicates dehydration.  A foul smell usually indicates infection.  Sweet-smelling urine usually indicates diabetes.

Frequency

The frequency of your need to urinate is also significant.  If you cannot go almost four hours without the need to find a bathroom you should investigate this need.  The reason could be temporary like pregnancy or excessive water, caffeine, or alcohol consumption.  It can also indicate weak pelvic floor muscles, or more critically,  a bladder infection, stones, or tumors.

Conclusions

Remember that anything you eat, drink, swallow, breathe in, or even ingest through your skin is removed from your body through your kidneys and liver into your urine.

The moral of this post is to convince you to keep an eye on what your urinary output is telling you.  Keep these variations in mind.  If drinking more water does not fix the variation by rehydrating your body or helping the filtration process of your kidneys and liver by diluting the offending source, be sure to seek medical advice.