Your urine should have a standard colour which doctors refer to as “urochrome.” Naturally, urine carries a yellow pigment. When you’re staying hydrated, your urine will be a light yellow, close-to-clear color.
But if you are getting dehydrated, you’ll notice that your urine is becoming a deep amber or even light brown. Different pigments in food you eat or medication that you take can be carried through your digestive tract and change the colour of your urine.
Sometimes your urine color can be a that you need to address a health condition or a reflection of what you eat and drink.
Clear urine
Being hydrated is a good thing, but drinking too much water can rob your body of electrolytes. Urine that occasionally looks clear is no reason to panic, but urine that’s always clear could indicate that you need to be cautious with your water intake.
Yellowish or amber
The colour of “typical” urine falls on the spectrum of light yellow to a deeper amber color. The urochrome pigment that’s naturally in your urine becomes more diluted as you drink water.
Urochrome is produced by your body breaking down hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in your red blood cells. In most situations, the colour of your urine will depend on how diluted this pigment is.Having a lot of B-vitamins in your bloodstream can cause urine to appear neon yellow
Red or Pink
Urine may look red or pink if you eat fruits with naturally deep pink or magenta pigments, such as beets, blueberries and so on.
While urine that’s red or pink might be from something you ate recently, there are sometimes other causes. Some health conditions can cause blood to appear in your urine, a symptom known as hematuria.
Orange
If your urine appears orange, it could be a symptom of dehydration. If you have urine that’s orange in addition to light colored stools, bile may be getting into your bloodstream because of issues with your bile ducts or liver.
Blue or green
Blue or green urine can be caused by food colouring. It can also be the result of dyes used in medical tests performed on your kidneys or bladder.
The pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial infection can also cause your urine to turn blue, green, or even indigo purple.
Dark brown
In most cases, urine that’s dark brown indicates dehydration. Dark brown urine can also be a side effect of certain medications, including metronidazole (Flagyl) and chloroquine (Aralen).
Eating large amounts of rhubarb, aloe, or fava beans can cause dark brown urine. A condition called porphyria can cause a buildup of the natural chemicals in your bloodstream and cause rusty or brown urine.
Cloudy urine
Cloudy urine can be a sign of a urinary tract infection. It can also be a symptom of some chronic diseases and kidney conditions. In some cases, cloudy urine is another sign of being dehydrated.