Before talking about why pee color matters and what you can do about it, it’s important to know a little bit about the urination process and what organs are involved.
Blood is filtered through your kidneys, where waste, minerals, salts, sugars, and other chemical byproducts are removed. Some sugars are reabsorbed into the blood that remains in the kidneys. Everything else is given the ol’ heave-ho in the form of urine,
Your pee can tell quite a story about your health and hydration. It’s important to note that urine can temporarily change colors depending on what you are eating, how hydrated you are, and any medications you are taking. Although it’s rare, some medications and foods can make your urine look green, or even blue!Here’s what your pee might be telling you:
- Straw-Colored To Transparent-Yellow Pee: This is the normal urine color of a healthy, well-hydrated body. This is what it should look like.
- Transparent Or Clear Pee: You should always be properly hydrated, but you can actually drink too much water, which will make your urine virtually colorless. Overhydration for long periods of time can lead to serious complications. We will get to that later.
- Dark Yellow Pee: Still “normal”—but verging on signs of dehydration. You should probably start sipping water more regularly.
- Honey-Colored Pee: Time to up the water intake. This isn’t going to cut it.
- Maple-Syrup-Colored Pee: This is could suggest severe dehydration or liver disease.
- Pink To Reddish-Colored Pee: If you’ve been noshing on red-pigmented foods like beets, rhubarb, or blueberries, then you’re probably fine. If not, you may have blood in your urine. This can be transitory, or it could be a sign of something more complicated: a urinary tract (UTI) or kidney infection; kidney stones or kidney disease; or cancer of the kidney, bladder or prostate. Of note, UTIs are far more common among women than men.
- Foamy Or Fizzy Pee: If it only happens on occasion, then it’s just a cool hydraulic effect—you’ve got a good flow going. But if it happens every time you tinkle, it could indicate high protein in your urine, which you may need to get checked by your doctor
