Why is pee yellow, and less yellow when we drink more water? Is the yellowness a measure of the toxins our bo

Question

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

The kidneys filter waste out of our body and our blood. The waste from the blood is called bilirubin. The liver converts the bilirubin ( a pigment produced when the liver processes waste products) to urobilins. The pigment in urobilins is yellow! When you drink a lot, you are diluting the color of the urobilins which is why your urine is less yellow. It would be more accurate to say that the yellow is a result of the normal cleansing action of our kidneys and liver. Toxins often imply contaminants not normally found in the body...what the urine is removing in the healthy person are waste products normally found in all people.

Answer 2

Someone in physiology class asked "Why does water go in clear and come out amber, and beer goes in amber and comes out clear? I prefer to think that urine contains waste products since most are not exactly toxins. Drinking water increases urine output, but is more dilute. The yellow color is caused by urochrome, a metabolic byproduct of the hemoglobin in our red blood cells. If we are dehydrated the urine is more concentrated, thus more yellow. Certain B vitamins will increase the yellowness. So will certain meds. Hepatitis will turn the urine yellow. If you put some urine in a test tube and shake it, the foam should be white. If foam is yellow, you may have hepatitis. (Wash your hands after this one and safely dispose of the test tube.) Red urine may result from eating beets or berries, or may be due to active bleeding in the urinary tract. Brown, cloudy urine may indicate kidney disease. Asparagus and certain foods impart a specific odor. Foul smelling urine can indicate infection.