As a general rule of thumb, it's usually a good sign for your health when the color of your urine is a pale shade of yellow. If you have urine that resembles another color, you should be aware that this is not normal. Abnormal colored urine may look clear, orange/brown/amber, pink/red, or even green/blue.
Health Clues From Color
An orange urine could indicate a serious liver condition. Darker brown can be caused by foods or medication. Cloudy urine can indicate the presence of phosphates which can lead to kidney stones. Urine that's consistently foamy and frothy suggests a possible kidney issue.
When your kidneys are failing, a high concentration and accumulation of substances lead to brown, red, or purple urine. Studies suggest the urine color is due to abnormal protein or sugar as well as high numbers of cellular casts and red and white blood cells.
One of the early signs is the appearance of swelling over the ankles, feet or legs: One will start to notice edema at these sites which pits on applying pressure and is termed as pitting edema. As the kidney function begins to fall there is sodium retention which causes swelling in your shin and ankles.
Clear pee is most often a result of drinking a lot of water. But, in some cases, it can be a sign of an underlying health condition. In addition to overhydration, the most common causes of clear urine include kidney issues, diabetes, diabetes insipidus, medications, and pregnancy.
Pale or transparent yellow urine
Diabetes insipidus is a condition in which the body produces excess urine. It can cause people to pass large quantities of light-colored urine every time they urinate. It can also cause people to feel very thirsty, leading them to drink fluids frequently.
Pale yellow to clear urine means you're giving your body the fluids it needs. “When you're healthy and hydrated, your urine color should actually have very little color to it, from light yellow to clear,” Dr. Wolach said. “However, it's not abnormal for the color of your urine to vary throughout the day.”
Dark brown urine can be a sign of liver or kidney problems. Cloudy urine may signal kidney stones or kidney damage from diabetes. Blood in the urine may be a sign of kidney disease, stones, or cancer.
Normal urine is a transparent yellow. If it looks cloudy, that is often another sign of a UTI, Rifken says. Cloudy or milky urine can also be a symptom of diabetes that is poorly controlled, a bacterial infection or kidney problems, including kidney stones.
Because people tend to sleep for several hours without having a drink, their urine is normally darker when urinating first thing in the morning.
Dark urine can be a sign of dehydration, jaundice, infections, and other health conditions. Certain medications and foods such, as rhubarb or beets, can also change the color of urine. Urine consists of excess water and waste products that the kidneys filter from the blood.
Common causes of smelly pee
Pee is usually clear or pale yellow, with a mild smell. Things that can often make your pee smell stronger include: certain types of food and drink, like asparagus or coffee. not drinking enough fluids (dehydration)
Healthy urine is usually a pale to medium yellow color, it's clear, and has a subtle pee odor. These characteristics tell you that you're drinking enough water, and nothing is visibly abnormal.
Transparent: While clear urine isn't exactly a bad thing, it can be a sign that you've been drinking too much water. Getting your daily intake of H2O is a good thing, but not when you're flushing all the electrolytes out of your body. Dark Yellow: This is a normal color, but may mean you need to sip on some water.
For most people, the normal number of times to urinate per day is between 6 – 7 in a 24 hour period. Between 4 and 10 times a day can also be normal if that person is healthy and happy with the number of times they visit the toilet.
If you feel the need to pee much more than that, or if you're getting up every hour or 30 minutes to go, you might be frequently urinating. This can still be considered “normal,” though, especially if you're drinking lots of fluids or taking certain medications. What matters most is what's typical for you.
Dark yellow urine is a sign that you are dehydrated and that you must drink more fluids to prevent dehydration. Your fluid intake goal is to make your urine no darker than the colour of # 3 on the chart. The darker colours (4-8) are signs of dehydration and may cause you to become ill.