Originally shared on Nigerianbulletin.com

The kidneys play several crucial roles in the body, notable among which is the formation of urine. Through the medium of urine, the kidneys eliminate excess water, toxins and nitrogenous waste products of metabolism like urea from the body. As simple as this pivotal function may appear, its failure results in the accumulation of these toxic substances within the body with attendant disastrous consequences on the health and wellbeing of the affected individual.Fortunately, the colour of the urine can serve as a window that provides valuable information regarding the functioning of the kidneys and body as a whole. Hence, any change noticed in urine colour should never be ignored. The normal urine is clear with a straw yellow to amber colour accounted for by a pigment called urochrome. With a 95% water composition, the urine also contains other substances such as urea, uric acid, salts, minerals and so on.It’s worthy of note that a good number of medical conditions find expression in the colour of the urine ranging from dehydration which is relatively mild and easily corrected to kidney disorders which may be potentially life-threatening e.g renal cancers. Evidently, if the apparent change in your urine colour is due to dehydration, increasing your daily water intake will definitely do the trick and restore your urine to its normal colour. However, persistent urine discolouration such as bloody urine is an alarm sign that necessitates immediate presentation and further assessment at the hospital. Next page is a discussion of various possible colours of your urine and what they could mean for your health:

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