Urine color changes from clear to orange with your hydration level but may also change due to food pigments or medications. Specific colors may indicate a condition that needs medical attention.

Doctors refer to the standard color of your urine as “urochrome.” Urine naturally carries a yellow pigment. When you stay hydrated, your urine will be light yellow and close to clear. If you’re dehydrated, your urine may become deep amber or light brown.

Sometimes, your urine color can indicate a health condition you must address.

Urine colors

Urine colors vary depending on what you eat, your medications, and how much water you drink. Many of these colors fall on the spectrum of what “typical” urine can look like, but there are cases where unusual urine colors may be a cause for concern.

Clear urine

Clear urine indicates that you’re drinking more than the daily recommended amount of water.

While being hydrated is good, drinking too much water can deplete your body’s electrolytes. Urine that occasionally looks clear is no reason to panic, but urine that’s always clear could indicate that you need to cut back on your water intake.

Clear urine can also indicate liver problems like cirrhosis and viral hepatitis. If you’re not consuming large amounts of water and have ongoing clear urine, you should talk with a doctor and get your urine tested.

Yellowish to amber urine

“Typical” urine color falls from light yellow to a deeper amber color. The urochrome pigment naturally in your urine becomes more diluted as you drink water.

Urochrome breaks down hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in your red blood cells. In most situations, the color of your urine depends on how diluted this pigment is.

Having a lot of B vitamins in your bloodstream can also cause urine to appear neon yellow.

Red or pink urine

Speak with a doctor if you’re ever concerned about blood in your urine.

Orange urine

The following things can cause your urine to look orange or light brown:

Blue or green urine

Blue urine is rare and most likely connected to something in your diet.

A condition called familial benign hypercalcemia can also cause blue or green urine. Low to moderate calcium levels may appear in your urine and change color when you have this condition. Many people with this genetic condition don’t have symptoms that they notice.

Dark brown urine

Dark brown urine often indicates dehydration. It can also occur due to:

Cloudy urine

Cloudy urine can result from:

Sometimes, when urine is foamy, doctors can’t determine the cause.

Frequently asked questions

What does kidney failure pee look like?

If you’re experiencing kidney failure, your urine may beTrusted Source varying shades of dark amber, red, or brown.

Note that dark yellow urine may also mean you’re dehydrated, and your urine may turn red after eating beets or foods with dyes. Some medications may change your urine color as well.

What are the three early warning signs of kidney disease?

Many people have no symptoms of kidney disease until it has progressed. However, some people may have subtle symptoms of kidney disease that may include:

What color is urine in stage 2 kidney disease?

Stage 2 kidney disease generally does not cause symptoms, so your urine may be a typical yellow color. However, you may have more protein in your urine (proteinuria or albuminuria), making your urine foamy. You may have to flush more than once.

Some people may have small amounts of blood in their urine (hematuria), making it more amber or darker yellow.

What color is urine with stage 3 kidney disease?

In stage 3 kidney disease, protein or blood may be present in urine, making it foamy, dark amber, pink, or reddish in color.

Takeaway

Abnormal urine colors typically result from dehydration, something you ate, or a side effect of medications you take. Urine should resume its typical coloring within 2 to 3 days after you notice an unusual color.

If your urine is cloudy, brown, blue, or green and doesn’t return to a pale straw color, schedule an appointment to speak with a doctor.

By Kathryn Watson

Source: HealthLineMedia

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