HAVE you ever wondered why your pee is an unusual colour?
The colour of your urine can indicate a variety of different conditions.
Most of us will be familiar with the darker yellow colour, which means you are dehydrated.
But the hue of your pee can also inform you of other, more serious, conditions. These colours are only a guide and there will be some shade variation person to person.
Here is what each colour means:
1. Pale straw
This is the optimum colour, not too light and not too dark.
Dr Luke Powles, GP at Bupa Health Clinics, told Cosmopolitan: “If it’s lighter [than pale straw], you’re probably drinking more water than you need to.”
2. Dark yellow/amber
Usually when your urine is dark, this means you’re lacking a lot of water.
If your urine is more of an amber colour, it means you need to get a few glasses of water down you.
3. Green
Usually this colour is harmless and can be a result of something you’ve eaten, like asparagus or artificial food colouring.
But it can sometimes be down to certain medications, or a rare genetic disease.
4. Red
This colour may seem alarming and sometimes it is – but in most cases it’s not down to foods.
If you’ve eaten foods such as beetroot or rhubarb, than this shade of wee is harmless.
Dr Powles added: “Sometimes it can be blood, which may be related to a bladder, kidney or prostrate problem including infections and cancers.
“If you cannot clearly link it with something you’ve eaten and it’s not settling quickly, go and see your GP.