Unusual Urine Colors: What They Mean for Your Health
The regular color of urine changes, but usually ranges from light to pale yellow. The exact shade depends on the amount of water you drink. The liquids dilute the yellow pigments in the urine. So the more you drink, the clearer your urine will be. The less you drink, the more yellow your urine will be.
Some foods and medications can change the color of your urine. Foods such as beets, blackberries, and lima beans can cause urine to turn red or pink. Some medications can also give urine bright colors, such as orange or blue-green. However, an unusual color of urine can also be a sign of a health problem. Urine becomes darker from dehydration. If it matches the first three examples, you’re hydrated. From the fourth tone onwards, there is dehydration and it is necessary to drink more water.
For example, some urinary tract infections can cause milk-white urine. Kidney stones, some cancers, and other diseases sometimes cause urine to appear red because of blood.
Below are some unusual urine colors, along with possible reasons for them.
When the color of urine is red or pink
Red urine is not always a sign of a serious health problem. Red or pink urine can be caused by the following:
Blood. Health problems that can cause blood in the urine include an enlarged prostate, non-cancerous tumors, and kidney stones and cysts. Vigorous exercise can also cause blood in the urine. Blood in the urine is common in urinary tract infections and kidney stones. These health problems sometimes cause pain. Painless bleeding could be a sign of a more serious problem, such as cancer. Food. Beets, blackberries, and rhubarb can cause urine to turn red or pink.
Medicines. Your urine may be red or pink if you take medications for tuberculosis, urinary tract pain, or constipation.
What happens if the urine is orange?
Orange urine can be caused by the following:
Medicines. Medications for constipation, as well as medications that decrease bloating and irritation, and some chemotherapy drugs for cancer can cause urine to turn orange. Vitamins. Some vitamins, such as A and B-12, can make urine orange or yellow-orange in color. Health problems. Orange urine can be a sign of a problem in the liver or bile duct, especially if the stool is also light in color. Dehydration can also cause urine to appear orange.
What does it mean if urine is blue or green?
Dyes. Some brightly colored food dyes can cause green urine. Dyes used for some kidney and bladder tests can cause urine to turn blue. Medicines. Some medications for depression, ulcers, and acid reflux can turn urine a blue-green color. Pain, arthritis, and sleep medications can also cause urine to turn green. Health problems. A rare disease called familial benign hypercalcemia can cause children to have blue urine. Urinary tract infections caused by certain bacteria can cause green urine.
Dark brown or brownish urine Brown urine can be caused by the following:
Food. Eating too many fava beans, rhubarb, or aloe vera can cause dark brown urine. Medicines. Some medications can darken urine, including those used to treat and prevent malaria, constipation, high cholesterol, and seizures. Some antibiotics and muscle relaxants can also darken your urine. Health problems. Some liver and kidney disorders and urinary tract infections can cause urine to turn dark brown. This can also happen due to bleeding inside the body, called hemorrhage. In turn, a group of diseases that mainly affect the skin or nervous system, called porphyria, can also cause brown urine. Extreme exercise. A muscle injury from extreme training can cause brownish or tea-colored urine. Such injury can lead to kidney damage.
When urine is cloudy or opaque Urinary tract infections and kidney stones can cause urine to look cloudy or opaque.
Please note that colors may look slightly different depending on the person. For example, what looks red to you may look orange to someone else. Talk to your healthcare team if you have concerns, and particularly if it is painful or your urine is dark orange, which could indicate that the liver is not working properly.