What color should your urine be?

你的尿液给你传递了信息。

Urine is a part of daily life. Because it’s so routine, we probably don’t pay too much attention to what comes out when we empty our bladders. But urine color can actually communicate messages to us about our bodies.

“Urine color can tell you a lot about what is going on in your body,” saidAlyssa Smolen, an advanced practice registered nurse在OSF医疗保健。

Urine can range anywhere from clear to light yellow to dark yellow to amber or brown. It can even show up orange, red or green.

Healthy urine color

肾脏在过滤血液中多余的水分和废物时产生尿液。多余的废物和水从血液进入肾脏，通过两根称为输尿管的管道，一路到达膀胱。膀胱会憋住尿液，直到我们把它释放出来。

What does your urine say?
Download

“Normal urine is pale yellow to amber in color and is clear. Darker urine is often a sign of dehydration. If you notice that your urine is darker than normal and you have no other symptoms, try drinking some more water and see if this helps your urine return to a lighter color,” Alyssa said.

When you’re drinking enough water, your urine should be the right shade of yellow. An average adult should drink12 8-ounce glassesof water every day.

When urine changes color

If your urine changes color, that’s when it’s time to pay attention.

阿丽莎说:“尿液的颜色会因水合状态、药物、食物或染料、感染或肝肾功能的改变而改变。”

The more unusual colors – like bright highlighter yellow, orange, brown, green or blue – are likely caused by medications, changes in diet or food dyes.

Evenvigorous exercise can cause urine to changeto a pink, red or tea-colored hue. This is because exercise can cause blood to mix with urine. It’s usually nothing to worry about, so long as your urine is back to a pale yellow or amber color within a day. If the color change lasts longer than a day, reach out to yourhealth care providerto get it checked out. They’ll likely take a urine sample to test.

Urine may also come out pink or red because of aurinary tract infection (UTI)或肾结石。

“If you notice your urine is a different color than normal, I recommend thinking about anything that may have changed in the last day or two,” Alyssa said.

She suggests asking yourself questions like,

• 你是否比平时更活跃或锻炼更多?
• 你喝了足够的水吗?
• Are you taking any new medications or supplements?
• 你吃过什么不同的食物吗?或者吃过大量的某种食物吗?已知会导致尿液变色的常见食物包括甜菜、黑莓、大黄、蚕豆和含有鲜艳染料的食物。
• Are you experiencing any other symptoms, such as urinary frequency changes, urinary urgency, painful urination,abdominal pain, lower back pain or fever?

When to call the doctor

你的尿液不应该浑浊或冒泡。如果你注意到你的尿液浑浊或冒泡，这没什么好担心的。它应该会自行消失，但如果任何一种症状持续存在，是时候和你的初级保健提供者谈谈了。这可能表明你的饮食或肾功能有问题。

“If you have no other symptoms and can identify a potential cause for the change, it’s probably OK to monitor things at home for a day or two. If you have other symptoms, you should call your health care provider,” Alyssa said.