Urine varies in appearance, primarily depending upon a body’s level of hydration, as well as other factors. A normal urine is transparent, ranging from colorless to amber, but is usually pale yellow. The color of the urine of a healthy person primarily comes from the presence of urobilin, which is a final waste product resulting from the breakdown of heme from hemoglobin during the destruction of aged blood cells.

Find out what the color of your urine says about your health:

– Colorless urine indicates over-hydration, generally preferable to dehydration, though it can remove essential salts from the body.

– Yellow/gold is the most typical urine color which indicates a healthy urinary tract. The yellow color will intensify depending on hydration. B Vitamins can cause your urine to be bright yellow.

– Pale straw to amber or honey – the lighter shades of yellow indicate that you are probably well hydrated, but as the color darkens, it could be a sign to drink more fluids.

– Yellowing or light orange may be a sign of removal of excess B vitamins from the bloodstream.

– Dark orange or brown urine are a cause for concern. These colors may mean you have bile in your urine or a problem with your liver.

– Brown urine can be a sign of extreme dehydration, consumption of fava beans, melanuria (too many particles in urine), kidney stones, kidney tumor or blood clot, Addison’s disease, glycosuria, renal artery stenosis, proteinuria, or a pituitary problem (ADH, or antidiuretic hormone).

– Blue or green urine colors are very rare. Some little-known diseases like porphyria, an inherited enzyme condition, can result in a person having blue or green urine, but the change in urine color might not be the first sign of a disease. The blue color can also be caused by artificial colors in foods, drugs, bilirubin and medications such as methylene blue.

– Red or pink urine color can be caused by hematuria (Fresh blood in the urine) related to urinary tract infection (UTI), kidney stone, or rarely cancer, consumption of red foods such as beets, blueberries, red food dyes, rhubarb, iron supplements, Pepto-Bismol, Maalox, and a variety of other drugs, classic “port wine” color may indicate porphyria (genetic disorder).