Source of pictures: Pixabay.com
Do you know what happened before urine leaves our bodies? Do you know why urine is usually yellow? Do you know what the color of urine says about our bodies? These questions may go unnoticed, but they can actually give us important messages about our bodies.
Let's talk about the kidney, the organ that produces urine, first. It can absorb nutrients from the urine, such as sugar, and transport them back to the body, while eliminating things that the body doesn't need, such as toxins. Liquid wastes will then be transmitted to the bladder which is like a bag in the body storing urine temporarily. When the bladder is full, it will send messages to the brain and tell us to urinate.
Normally urine is not clear and colorless but is straw-yellow or yellow. Do you know why?
The straw-yellow color in urine is due to a pigment called 'urobilin' in our bodies. They are the breakdown products of heme, an important part of the blood.
The amount of water in our bodies determines whether urobilin is diluted or concentrated. It also determines whether urine is colorless or yellow. Urine gets darker when the body contains inadequate water, and the body will absorb more water to prevent dehydration. As a result, the reduce of water content in urine will concentrate urobilin and increase the "pigment" in urine, thereby producing a darker color of urine.
So you should drink more water to hydrate your body. Bright yellow urine is a sign of less water in your body and means that you need to drink more water. More clear and transparent urine is probably because you just drank a large amount of water, beverages, or coffee. They will weaken the ability of kidneys to reabsorb and transport water to your body. So the more water you drink, the more water will mix with urobilin, the less the pigment your urine contains, and the lighter your urine becomes.
Pale straw yellow urine indicates that you're healthy and well-hydrated!
Is it amazing that the urine color is an indicator of our bodies' hydration level? If the color of your urine is 'abnormal', such as dark brown or blood red, you might have health problems and should see a doctor.
Author: Zhu Yawen
京公网安备11010502039775号
