The toilet bowl may be your first indication that something may be a miss with your health. In fact most doctors today advise keeping an eye on the color of your pee. Although slight changes in hue may be nothing to worry about you should aim for a light lemonade color as a sign of optimal hydration and that fact that everything is functioning normally.
It’s important to note that the color of your pee isn’t always as accurate at predicting true dehydration as other tests such as a blood test. This is according to research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study examined hydration tests among older adults and found that urine color can be changed a myriad of things, making it challenging to accurately predict hydration.
The yellow hue of urine comes from a chemical by-products that are the result of the kidneys doing their job of processing waste, explains Koushik Shaw, MD, urologist and founder of Austin Urology Institute in Texas. The more dehydrated you are, the more concentrated the urine becomes and the darker the color gets. “A pale yellow color reflects a good balance between over and under hydration,” he says.
However sometimes pee can appear in a surprising rainbow of colors. If you’re not seeing that natural lemonade hue your body might be trying to tell you something. Here’s a quick guide to what different colors of urine might mean.
Click NEXT to check if you should be worried…
