Some foods and beverages are known to change urine color. Depending on what you are eating or drinking, your pee may be transparent or yellow or turn another color completely. Medical conditions are also known to change urine color. The rule of thumb when it comes to sudden changes in urine color is to talk to your doctor immediately so your doctor can examine you and provide a proper diagnosis.
Does Green Tea Affect Your Urine?
There is no direct evidence that green tea can substantially change urine color, so much so that the urine output suddenly becomes blue or green or any other color. Changes in urine color, however, are known to be caused by fluctuations in body hydration levels. Thus, water has been dubbed the “most essential nutrient” since it is crucial to life].
For a range of health-related outcomes, the link between hydration and general health has lately been highlighted. Plasma hypertonicity and a lack of water intake, for example, are linked to hyperglycemia, which is a precursor to insulin resistance.
Adults in the highest percentile rank of regular water intake and urine output had a lower chance of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). In contrast, low urine volume has been associated with kidney stone recurrence. In addition, consuming more water allows for more dilute urine, which is helpful to the urinary tract, kidneys, and potentially, other vital systems.
Can Certain Drinks Change Pee Color?
Yes, both beverages and food items can change the color of urine – but not always.
What’s important to realize is that you should never expect your urine to change its color just because you ate something. The body has a fantastic way to filter its water, and changing urine colors isn’t something that happens all the time. However, below are some examples of how food and beverages change urine color.
- Dairy Products
Some individuals may have cloudy urine after consuming considerable phosphorus and purines-rich foods, such as milk and dairy products. Phosphorus is vital for bone health and a variety of biological processes.
When you gain plenty of phosphorus from your diet, you may end up ejecting it, resulting in cloudy urine.
This, however, is rare in otherwise healthy persons. In addition, dairy is exceptionally high in calcium, which helps to develop strong bones. Therefore, drinking milk and dairy products in moderation is not a worry for most people. Phosphate-rich urine is typically a symptom of renal disease, excessive vitamin D levels, or a thyroid issue produced by too much parathyroid hormone.
- Coffee And Tea
Cloudy urine is commonly caused by tea and coffee.
Coffee and a variety of teas contain regular amounts of caffeine. When caffeine is taken, it exerts numerous diuretic effects on the kidneys and increases urine excretion.
If you drink a lot of caffeine-laden beverages, you might notice cloudiness, color changes, and dehydration in your urine. Green tea, black tea, and plain coffee, on the other hand, have health advantages. This is because they’re jam-packed with compounds that act as antioxidants. These great may also aid in preventing cell damage caused by various metabolic conditions and just plain aging of the body.
However, to avoid dehydration, these beverages should be consumed in moderation. Drink plenty of water after drinking caffeinated coffee or tea, for example.
- Alcoholic Beverages
Drinking alcoholic beverages on occasion usually is harmless; however, excessive alcohol use might result in murky urine. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it promotes your kidneys to create more water by blocking the hormone that keeps you from urinating.
As a result, consuming alcohol may result in dehydration. Additionally, after a night of drinking, you may find that your pee is cloudier than usual. To avoid cloudy urine from dehydration caused by alcohol, drink water alongside these alcoholic beverages.
Excessive alcohol increases heart-related risks. Liver problems and cancer are also not far off the horizon. Therefore, alcohol should be restricted to one to two drinks per day.
Remember that too much alcohol use can trigger dehydration, too, on top of darker urine. So consume in moderation and be sure to drink more water throughout the day.
- Sugar-Rich Foods And Beverages
Sugars can cause cloudy urine as well. In this case, high fructose consumption has been linked to hyperuricosuria. This is because the breakdown of fructose in your body causes uric acid to be produced.
As a result, excessive fructose consumption may cause your urine to become cloudy due to an excess of uric acid. Fructose can be found in fruit, honey, and molasses. However, this vitamin is mainly made up of HFCS or high fructose corn syrup. This sweetener is commonly found in processed foods and commercial beverages like soda.
If you consume a lot of fructose, you may see murky urine, albeit this is not a uniform sign. For example, people with type 2 diabetes, obesity, or indications of metabolic syndrome are more likely to have hyperuricosuria.
Apart from the potential to create urine haze, drinks and foods high in fructose have little nutritional value. As a result, on a balanced diet, these foods should be kept to a minimum.
What Causes Tea-Colored Urine?
Urine that is darker or tea-colored is linked to several illnesses, ranging from dehydration to life difficulties. If you’ve ever had asparagus, you know how strange it can make your pee smell. Beets cause urine to appear pink or scarlet in some people, which can be frightening because it looks like blood in the urine. These odor and color shifts are entirely harmless. However, if your urine smells sweet, you should be concerned since it could indicate diabetes.
Blackberries and rhubarb, like beets, can suddenly turn your urine pink or red for a short time. Rhubarb can cause tea-colored or dark brown urine. Urine can be tinted orange by carrots or vitamin C, while it can be brilliant yellow-green by B vitamins. Urine with asparagus might have a greenish tint and a distinct odor. The smell itself has been called ‘rotten.’ Medicines can also alter the look of urine. Tagamet, for example, a popular medicine for decreasing stomach acid, can cause urine to turn blue.