Urine with high sugar (glycosuria) often looks cloudy, dark yellow/amber, or even pale and watery, and may have a sweet or fruity smell, often accompanied by frequent urination, intense thirst, and sometimes foamy or bubbly appearance from protein (proteinuria) due to kidney issues, all common signs of diabetes or kidney problems.
Typically, diabetic urine may appear more yellow or amber-colored due to increased glucose concentration ((Raymond and Yarger, 1988) and (Aycock and Kass, 2012)). As dehydration increases, which is common in poorly controlled diabetes, urine becomes darker and more pronouncedly yellow ((Belasco et al., 2020)).
It's normal to have a small amount of sugar in your pee. But if urine (pee) test results show more than 0.25 mg/ml of glucose, that's glycosuria. Sometimes, glycosuria is a symptom of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). But it can also happen in people with normal or low blood sugar levels.
Characteristics of Diabetic Urine
Pale to dark amber color. Sweet or fruity smell. Increased volume. Cloudy appearance.
Diabetes During Pregnancy: Diet Tips
Some glucose in urine is common during pregnancy. But high levels over time could be a sign of gestational diabetes, which is a type of diabetes that happens only during pregnancy.
“Water helps your kidneys filter out excess sugar through urine,” says Khan. “So, the more hydrated you are, the more urine production you'll have, which flushes out sugar in the body.” Always opt for water instead of sugary drinks, like soda and juice.
How Does Sugar in Urine Look? Sugar in urine does not always have obvious signs but can sometimes give urine a cloudy appearance. High levels of sugar in the urine may also may your pee smell sweet.
Cloudy urine may be a side effect of diabetes. Diabetes can cause sugar to build up in your pee. High levels of sugar can cause cloudy urine.
Warning Signs and Symptoms
Being very thirsty and urinating often are common diabetes symptoms. In people who have diabetes, extra sugar — which also is called glucose — builds up in the blood. This forces the kidneys to work overtime to filter and absorb the extra sugar. When the kidneys can't keep up, extra sugar goes into the urine.
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Glucose is your body's main source of energy. Your body can make glucose, but glucose also comes from the food you eat. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that helps glucose get into your cells to be used for energy.
The 2 main symptoms of diabetes insipidus are often needing to pee a large amount of urine and feeling extremely thirsty. If you have diabetes insipidus, you may pee pale, watery urine every 15 to 20 minutes. The amount of urine can range from 3 litres in mild cases to up to 20 litres per day in severe cases.
Common symptoms of acute kidney failure include: Passing only a small amount of urine (oliguria) or no urine at all (anuria) because the kidneys are not filtering the blood as normal. The urine may become discoloured, like the colour of tea or cola drinks.
A person with uncontrolled diabetes may have high blood glucose levels. The body tries to get rid of the extra glucose through urine, which can cause it to have a sweet smell, similar to honey. People with sweet-smelling urine due to diabetes may notice other symptoms, including: exhaustion.
Urine glucose testing involves checking the color of a test strip to see if your glucose is too high. Depending on the results, you may have blood sugar problems that need more testing or management.
Symptoms at night
If diabetic hypoglycemia happens when you're sleeping, symptoms that may disturb your sleep include: Damp sheets or nightclothes due to sweating. Nightmares. Tiredness, irritable mood or confusion when you wake up.
High levels of glucose in the urine. Frequent urination. Increased thirst.
According to its proponents, you use the pinch method by holding the thumb and index finger of one hand just above the wrist of the other hand and then exerting a little bit of pressure on the wrist. Doing this will supposedly cause the release of insulin and break down glucose.
Move after eating
Exercising or being active soon after eating will also lower your blood sugar in many ways. First of all, the glucose that doesn't enter the bloodstream can be used for muscle use during exercise. Exercise also diverts blood flow away from the intestines, reducing glucose absorption.
Multiple studies have indeed shown that sleep plays a role in the 24-hour pattern of glucose concentrations. For example, an 8-hour period of fasting while awake is associated with a continuous decline in glucose levels, however, during sleep, which is also a fasting state, glucose levels remain fairly constant [14].
Dietary modifications help the patients to control blood glucose. Traditional herbs and spices are commonly used for control of glucose among which cinnamon (Ròu Guì; Cinnamomum cassia) has the greatest effect. Research has shown that adding cinnamon to diet can help to lower the glucose level.
A popcorn smell or sweet-smelling urine is often an early indicator of untreated or undiagnosed diabetes. Diabetes affects your blood sugar levels and causes high ketone levels. The excess sugar and ketones make their way into your urine, resulting in that tell-tale popcorn smell.