Introduction
Urine is usually a clear liquid that is light yellow to colorless. The less you drink, the darker the urine becomes. Urine is yellow because it contains so-called urochromes.
Urochromes are all metabolic products present in the urine that cause the urine to be colored. Some of the urochromes are metabolic products that are produced during the formation and breakdown of the red blood pigment haemoglobin. These metabolites are urobiline and porphyrins.
Urobilin is an important breakdown product of hemoglobin. It is excreted with the urine via the kidney and, as urochrome, is responsible for the yellow color of the urine. Our urine can also take on other colors, which can be harmless or indicate diseases.
How can the color of the urine be influenced?
The color of the urine depends both on the amount of fluid we consume and on our diet. For example, certain foods can cause an unusual urine coloration. The urine is usually clear, light yellow to colorless.
If you drink a lot, you dilute the urine. It then becomes clearer to completely colorless. If, on the other hand, you drink very little, the urine becomes more concentrated and much darker.
This means that I can influence my urine color by drinking. The color of the urine can also be changed by food. If you take food supplements containing vitamin B2, your urine will turn bright yellow.
Eating rhubarb changes the urine depending on its pH value: if you eat rhubarb in acidic urine, the urine becomes yellow-brown. If rhubarb is eaten with alkaline urine, the urine may even turn pink. The consumption of large quantities of beetroot can cause the urine to turn red.
Why is the urine sometimes light yellow?
The urine is usually light yellow or colorless. The color is strongly dependent on the fluid intake. If we drink a lot, the urine tends to be diluted, so the color turns pale yellow. If we drink more water, the color of the urine becomes pale yellow.
