Credits: Social Media
Doctor debunks one common pee myth that is doing more harm than good
A doctor has gone viral on TikTok this week after debunking one common myth about the color of your urine.
Dr. Sermed Mezher is an NHS doctor in the UK who has racked up more than 200,000 followers sharing healthcare advice.
Doctor debunks common pee myth
The clearer your pee the better, right? WRONG! Many have been wrongly led to believe that clear pee is a good thing and means your body is correctly hydrated – but it’s actually a sign that you’re drinking too much water.
Mezher responded to a video in which a woman said her life was “ruined” the day she found out her pee isn’t meant to be clear in color.
“She’s most definitely not wrong,” he said. “If you’re peeing clear, that means you’re having more than 2.5 litres of fluid per day which means your kidneys are working overdrive to keep that water off your brain.”
He explained that if your kidneys can’t keep up, you can suffer from something called water poisoning or intoxication, which is when sodium levels in your blood drop to critically low levels and your brain starts to swell.
What your urine should look like
Typical, healthy pee should be a straw-yellow color, Medline Plus reveals. Abnormally colored urine may be cloudy, dark, or blood-colored and can be caused by dehydration, infection, disease, medicines, or certain foods you eat.
The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends that men consume 3.7 liters of water per day and women have 2.7 liters. However, this is made up of all water consumed from both food and drinks.
Mezher says that healthy adults should drink an average of two liters of water per day, which is around eight 8-ounce glasses. Many factors can affect the amount of water you should drink, including your activity level, body weight and the climate where you live.
You should contact a medical professional if you have an abnormal urine color that cannot be explained and does not go away. Also, seek help for blood in your urine, clear, dark-brown urine or pink, red, or smoky-brown urine that is not due to a food or medicine.
What different urine colors mean
The doctor showed a helpful chart created by Healthline which reveals what different pee colors mean.
- Clear: You are drinking too much water.
- Pale or transparent: You are drinking enough water.
- Dark yellow: You are not drinking enough water.
- Orange: You are not drinking enough water. Certain vitamins and medications can also cause an orange color.
- Dark orange or brown: You are not drinking enough water or the body is not producing enough water. Can also indicate liver problems.
- Dark brown or black: A sign of medical conditions, such as liver disease, rhabdomyolysis, or alkaptonuria.
- Pink or red: An indication of blood in the urine. Can also be a result of some medications or foods, like beets.
- Blue or green: A result of eating foods containing large amounts of dye or some medications. Green urine can indicate a urinary tract infection.
- Cloudy: A sign of a urinary tract infection.
- White or milky: An indication of a condition called chyluria.
