Find out what the color of your pee says about your health!

The issue of toilets being predominantly white has an explanation: not only “number two”, but also pee can say a lot about our health. Paying attention to colors is an important step, after all it could be a simple sign that you are drinking little water – or a serious indication of a more serious health problem. “Healthy urine is pale yellow in color, almost transparent, and virtually odorless. The first variation we have is the dark yellow color. In this case, it indicates dehydration, that is, fluid intake was less than necessary to keep the body healthy and hydrated”, explains Dr. Caroline Reigada, nephrologist, specialist in Internal Medicine by the Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo and in Nephrology by the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo.

But there are cases where the urine can come out reddish or pink, which is a cause for concern if you haven’t eaten foods like beets. “Pink and reddish urine can indicate the presence of blood, which is usually associated with urinary infection, kidney stones, bladder or prostate problems and even kidney diseases such as IgA nephropathy. In addition, it could be a sign of bladder or kidney cancer,” says the doctor. “Likewise, brownish urine indicates severe dehydration, but it can happen in degrees of advanced kidney failure or mean liver problems as well”, says the nephrologist.

The doctor explains that greenish urine can occur in urinary infections and during the use of medications such as amitriptyline, propofol, methylene blue or when we ingest dyes. “Excess calcium in the body can make the urine blue-green”, says the doctor.

Regarding the appearance of pee, the nephrologist explains that it is not normal to observe foam in the urine. “This occurs when there is loss of protein in the urine, which means that there is kidney disease installed. You should look for a nephrologist as soon as possible”, argues the doctor.

However, Dr. Caroline Reigada points out that before despairing, it is important to try to remember food and drinks ingested in previous meals. “Foods such as carrots, beets, blackberries and medicines, rich in vitamin B, can change the color of urine. Supplements with high doses of vitamins may also be related. Asparagus can leave urine more fetid, as it releases sulfur in its decomposition. Vitamin B also makes the urine odor stronger, as well as garlic, alcohol and coffee”, explains the nephrologist. “If you smell sweet, or notice a high number of ants, this could indicate diabetes, as glucose gives this odor to urine when diabetes is uncontrolled.

However, the most correct thing to do is to seek a doctor to confirm the diagnosis with a blood test to start treatment as soon as possible. We must remember that diabetes is harmful to the kidneys”, explains the doctor. “Diabetes is an extremely inflammatory disease, in which the exaggerated amount of glucose in the blood is capable of causing blood hyperfiltration in the kidneys (the so-called glomerular hyperfiltration). In addition, it increases the concentration of advanced glycosylation products (the process in which sugars are added to proteins and lipids, transforming them into glycoproteins and glycolipids), which are most responsible for the complications of diabetes.

When these products are activated by the unique immune system, diseases of blood vessels and nerves appear, as well as kidney damage. These are the so-called micro and macrovascular complications of diabetes. That is: microvascular – alteration of smaller vessels, such as the kidneys and the retina; and macrovascular – from the heart and large vessels”, explains the doctor. “The control of diabetes, which presents easy diagnosis (a simple blood test) should aim, in most cases, a glycated hemoglobin lower than 7%”, concludes the doctor.

Featured Photo: Reproduction