Healthy Lifestyle Geek

Creating a healthy lifestyle includes monitoring what goes into your body as well as what comes out. Your urine offers some clues to the condition of your health through sight and smell. If you are drinking enough fluids and are otherwise healthy, urine does not usually have a strong smell and is straw like in color.

Water makes up more than two-thirds of the weight of the human body. Without water, humans would die in a few days. All the cells and organs need water to function. If adequate water is not consumed on a daily basis the body fluids will be out of balance, causing dehydration.

Dehydration means your body does not have as much water and fluids as it should. Symptoms of dehydration include little or no urine output and concentrated urine appears dark yellow. Keeping your body hydrated is essential to keeping it healthy. Make a habit of taking a source of fluids everywhere you go. Hydrate throughout the day, not only at meal times.

Maintaining healthy hydration is a simple matter of monitoring your pee. In addition, your pee provides clues to other health issues or responses to food products. Some of your pee indicators are as follows:

Cloudy, murky urine is characteristic of a urinary tract infection, which may also have an offensive smell. Murky urine may also be caused by the presence of bacteria, mucus, white blood cells or red blood cells, epithelial cells, fat, or phosphates.

Dark brown or clear urine is characteristic of a liver disorder such as acute viral hepatitis or cirrhosis.

Pink, red, or smoky brown urine can be a side effect of a medication or may be caused by the recent consumption of beets, blackberries or certain food colorings. It is also characteristic of a urinary tract disorder in which bleeding occurs.

Dark yellow or orange urine can be caused by recent use of laxatives or consumption of B complex vitamins or carotene. Orange urine is often caused by pyridium (used in the treatment of urinary tract infections), rifampin, and warfarin.

Changes in urine odor are usually temporary. Such changes are not always a sign of disease. Certain foods and medicines, including vitamins, may affect your urine’s odor. For example, asparagus causes a characteristic urine odor.

However, foul smelling urine may be due to bacteria, such as that responsible for urinary tract infection. Sweet smelling urine may be a sign of uncontrolled diabetes or a rare disease of metabolism. Liver disease and certain metabolic disorders may cause musty smelling urine.

Any changes in odor, urine color, or the presence of an abnormal urine color that cannot be linked to the consumption of a food or drug, should be reported to the doctor. This is particularly important if it happens for longer than a day or two, or if there are repeated episodes.

Start monitoring your pee today for signs of what it can tell you.

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Filed under: Pee