My Urine Color – What Does it Mean & Should I Be Worried? (2024)

Video Summary

Urine can tell a lot about what’s going on in your body.

Urine can be all sorts of colors from pale yellow to dark amber and even green, pink or orange.

Different foods, medications, and diseases can change the color and what may be considered abnormal urine color.

What Color Should Urine Be?

A healthy urine color range is from pale yellow to amber-colored urine. A lot of this depends on the time of day and how hydrated you are.

A pigment called urochrome causes the yellow color in urine.

Your kidneys filter out this byproduct from your bloodstream and it exits your body in urine. The more fluids you drink, the lighter the color of the pigment in your urine. The less you drink, the stronger the color.

Different Colors – Light to Dark

So, let’s quickly go over the different types of colors, starting with the lighter and ending with the darker, cloudy urine.

  • Red or Pink Urine
    While urine that’s red or pink might be from something you ate recently – like beets rhubarb or blueberries, there are sometimes other causes. Some health conditions can cause blood to appear in your urine, a symptom known as hematuria, including enlarged prostate, kidney stones, tumors in the bladder and kidney.
  • Orange
    This can be a cause of dehydration. Vitamin C and carotene in carrots can cause orange-colored urine, but not always.
    Certain drugs can also be a cause like Rifampicin or PhenazopyridineThe most concerning cause of orange urine is liver disease or jaundice. The orange color is caused by an increase in bilirubin.
  • Blue Or Green
    Blue or green urine can be caused by food coloring. B Vitamins can cause your urine to be more fluorescent green. Certain medications like amitriptyline, Propofol or indomethacin can also turn also cause blue/green urine.
  • Light Brown
    Light-brown or tea-colored urine can be a sign of kidney disease or failure or muscle breakdown. Extreme exercise, like long-distance running or exercising in extreme conditions, can cause this.
  • Dark Brown
    In most cases, urine that’s dark brown indicates dehydration. Dark brown urine can also be a side effect of certain medications metronidazole – Flagyl and chloroquine – Aralen can cause dark brown urine. Eating large amounts of rhubarb, aloe, or fava beans can cause dark brown urine. Dark brown urine can also be an indicator of liver disease, as it can be caused by bile getting into your urine.
  • Cloudy
    Cloudy urine can be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI). It can also be a symptom of some chronic diseases and kidney conditions. In some cases, cloudy urine is another sign of dehydration.

Visual Image & Color Chart

color-of-pee-infographic

Conclusion

The biggest cause will always be dehydration. Most people are dehydrated.

So, just try to slowly add in more water daily. You should have at least one good, almost clear pee every day.

And if you do have pink or red urine for a few days or consistently, you should see a doctor.