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Kidneys filter out toxins and balance fluid in the body to secrete urine. Toxins, bacteria, excess protein and sugar, etc. circulating in your body ultimately make their way into the urine. Hence urine can provide important clues about what's happening in the body.
The colour, odour, and consistency of urine, and how often you feel the urge to go can all tell a lot more about the status of your health. Noticing a change in urine may indicate something as harmless as what you ate to something as threatening as cancer.
Here are the changes that you might see in your urine and what it says about your health:
Colour change what shade is it?
The characteristic yellow colour of your urine is due to a pigment called urochrome or urobilin. Depending on the concentration of urine, its colour varies from clear to deep amber. Your urine changes colour depending on what you eat or drink, what medications you take, etc.
Odour change how does it smell?
Changes in urine odour could indicate a medical condition. In fact, dogs have been shown to actually smell cancer in urine.1 The odour of urine is normally mild.
Consistency of urine clear or cloudy?
Too much of protein in your diet may cause your urine to be frothy and foamy. Constantly cloudy urine may indicate an infection. Stones in your kidney can also make your urine cloudy.
Frequency - how often do you feel the need to go?
The frequency of urination can be an important indicator of your health. Usually, how often you feel the need to go depends on how much fluid you drink. But increased frequency even after limited fluid intake and the urge to go more often may be a sign of bladder inflammation, overactive bladder, diabetes, benign prostate enlargement, etc.
Oliguria is a decreased output of urine - below 400 millilitres of urine over a period of 24 hours. Anuria is complete absence of urine or less than 50 millilitres of urine output in a 24-hour period. Dehydration, urinary tract obstruction, or blockage, some medications, end-stage kidney disease, severe fluid loss (hypovolemic shock), etc. can make you not go to the bathroom enough.
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References:
1. Cornu JN, Cancel-Tassin G, Ondet V, Girardet C, Cussenot O. Olfactory detection of prostate cancer by dogs sniffing urine: a step forward in early diagnosis. Eur Urol. 2011 Feb;59(2):197-201. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2010.10.006. Epub 2010 Oct 15. PubMed PMID: 20970246.