Urine Color and What it Means

According to what doctors say, pale yellow to dark amber is the color of a normal urine. However, it is an ideal scenario wherein most people may have normal urine. There are various factors which can change the color of the urine and these factors may be attributed to certain food sources, medications or some diseases. In most cases, the change in color turns out to be of mild nature and does not necessarily has to be a symptom of any kind of disease. Many types of foods, supplements and dyes are primarily responsible for bringing a change in the urine color. So, the best source to sought for information about urine color and what it means, would be a doctor.

What Does Urine Color Mean?
As said, pale yellow is the normal urine color. Other than this, depending on some factors urine color may be brown, orange, dark yellow, bright yellow, pink or red, blue or dark green and cloudy or murky . Let's understand the cause of each of these urine color meaning.

Brown Urine Color and What It Means
Food items which may be responsible for brown urine are fava beans, aloe and rhubarb. Diseases related with the liver and side effects of certain medications also cause the urine to turn brown.

Orange Urine Color and What It Means
Dehydration is the most common reason for causing orange urine. This color may result from side effects of medicines such as rifampin, doxorubicin (Adrimycin, Rubex), dyes or side effects of laxatives. Carrot juice at times is also responsible for giving an orange tint to the urine.

Dark Yellow Urine Color and What It Means
Most dark yellow urine causes include dehydration, intake of foods such as asparagus and presence of high level of B complex vitamins. Dark yellow urine means that there might be probable chances of the onset of medical conditions such as jaundice, hemolytic anemia and hematuria. Know more on dark yellow urine causes.

Bright Yellow Urine Color and What It Means
Bright yellow urine color is mostly an indication of dehydration. This urine color also indicates an increased concentration or level of B vitamins in the body.

Pink or Red Urine Color and What It Means
Red urine color may signify the onset of a medical condition known as porphyria. It is a disease of the skin and the nervous system. In most cases, it has been seen that red urine color is one of its common symptoms. Possible blood in urine, as it happens in case of kidney or bladder infection, makes the urine look red. Apart from laxatives, beets, berries and food dyes may cause the urine to turn red or pink. Know more on blood in urine in children.

Blue or Dark Green Urine Color and What It Means
Medicines such as amitriptyline and indomethacin are the ones which cause blue or dark green urine. Blue or green urine color urine may also be one of the symptoms of a rare medical disorder known as blue diaper syndrome (autosomal recessive metabolic disorder characterized in infants by bluish urine-stained diapers).

Cloudy or Murky Urine Color and What It Means
Cloudy urine color possibly suggests that the person is suffering from a urinary tract infection (UTI) or kidney stones. However, only the occurrence of cloudy urine does not necessarily indicate any of these diseases until there are other symptoms as well. Read more on cloudy urine causes.

Change in urine color during pregnancy is common with almost all women. Some color may not be considered of a severe nature, however one may never be completely certain of such things. There might be incidents wherein there can occur blood in urine during pregnancy. So, it is essential for the expecting mother to visit a qualified doctor and inform about any urine color change. It is also important to take a note that if the urine is almost colorless then this might indicate signs of diabetes insipidus. However, the more water you drink, the clearer will be the urine. So, instead of assuming and contemplating, the best way to know about your urine color and what it means is to pay a visit to your doctor!