It is interesting to know that the color and odor of our urine, and how frequently we urinate can provide some great insights into our health status. Urine is the liquid waste released by the human body, and it mostly consists of water, salt, some chemicals known as uric acid and urea. Our kidneys make the urine by filtering a lot of toxic wastes and impurities from our blood. So, how does your urine give out some hidden symptoms in your body, if any?

What color is your urine?

Normally, the color of a healthy person’s urine should be a pale yellow to gold; the coloration is from a pigment produced in your body named urochrome.

However, a change in your urine color can say a lot about your health, as revealed below:

• Colorless: It may indicate that you have been drinking plenty of water or taking a diuretic (a drug that helps you get rid of the fluid in your body).
• Very dark honey or brown: It may indicate that you are seriously dehydrated and should drink ASAP. It may also show that you have a certain liver problem.
• Pink or red: Foods such as carrot, beets, blackberries, or rhubarb can turn your urine pinkish-red. It may also be a side effect of medications like antibiotic rifampin or phenazopyridine [a drug used in treating Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)].
• Orange: If your urine turns orange, this can be a sign that you are suffering from dehydration or having a liver or bile duct problem. It can also indicate that you are taking medications such as high-dose Vitamin B2, phenazopyridine, or antibiotic izoniazid.
• Blue or green: The dyes in your foods and medications are mostly responsible for your blue or green urine. Medications such as anesthetic propofol or promethazine (allergy/asthma medicine) can turn your urine blue or green. However, some rare diseases or infections may also be responsible for that coloration. Consult your physician if you persistently pass out blue or green urine.
• Foamy: A consistently foamy urine may reveal that you have protein in your urine, which is a known symptom of kidney problem.

How does your urine smell?

Urine doesn’t necessarily give out strong smell or odor except you have consumed foods such as asparagus (which has smelly sulfur compound) or Vitamin B-6 supplements. If you are dehydrated, your urine can become concentrated and very smelly, due to the strong ammonia smell in it.

Otherwise, a very smelly urine can indicate some diseases like a UTI, diabetes, metabolic diseases, or a bladder infection.

How often do you urinate?

If you are not an elderly person or a pregnant woman and you empty your bladder more than 8 times a day, it may be as a result of too much eating or drinking.

However, if you are in a situation whereby you go to the toilet to urinate several times in a day, more than necessary, it can be a sign that you have a UTI, diabetes, kidney disease, vaginitis in women, enlarged prostate in men, overactive bladder, or a bladder infection known as interstitial cystitis.

Talk to your physician

If you know that the changes in your urine color, smell, and frequency are not due to the foods, drinks, and medications you have taken, it is time to call your doctor for a diagnosis.