Urine has been used for diagnostic purposes for thousand of years. Our body waste can give important clues about our health and should be examined rather than treated as an unpleasant sight that we are better off ignoring. So next time you’re in the loo have a look and have a smell, it could alert you that something is amiss.
So what does the colour, smell and tell us about our health?
Your kidneys are essentially a filter that removes wastes out of your blood. Urine is predominately made of out water (>90%), uric acid, minerals, salts and other substances that would cause serious health issues if left in the body. We can survive with just a quarter of one kidney but thankfully most of us have two. It is estimated in an average life time, kidneys filter enough fluids to fill a small lake.
The colour and smell of urine will depend upon how much you drink, the types of foods you eat, supplements or meds you take or even a disease. The time of day will also vary as early morning urine would be darker and more pungent being most concentrated after sleep.
Normal urine is usually yellow gold without a pungent smell unless you are dehydrated or eaten certain foods such a asparagus.
Red or pink urine = Red Alert, see your doctor as there may be blood present
More on this topic coming soon!
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