What your wee says about your well-being

Taking a peek when you visit the bathroom could reveal a hidden illness

- FAYE M SMITH

Never notice the colour of your urine? Just a quick glance could alert you to a health concern. ‘Urine is a great marker for health,’ explains Dr Ross Perry, GP and medical director of cosmedics.co.uk. ‘It looks predominantly at your hydration, but can also reveal whether there are any medical conditions, such as diabetes, an infection, kidney disease or even cancer.’ Here are the clues that could be lurking in your loo…

What colour is normal?

‘The kidneys, which produce urine, are the body’s filtration unit,’ says chief pharmacist Stuart Gale. ‘When the body is healthy, urine is pale yellow to gold.’

If it’s… bright yellow

‘Some supplements can change the colour of urine, but it’s not harmful,’ says clinical nutritional therapist Yvonne Bishop-Weston, who works with Vitabiotics. ‘A multivitamin containing B vitamins can turn urine a bright yellowy green – it’s just the excess being excreted.’ It can also mean you’re dehydrated. If the colour doesn’t change back when you stop using the supplements or drink more water, see your GP. ‘It may be a sign of liver problems,’ says Stuart.

Meet our experts…

Dr Katia Boleti is a consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Ross Perry is a GP and medical director of cosmedics.co.uk

Stuart Gale is chief pharmacist at oxford onlinepharmacy.co.uk

Yvonne Bishop-Weston is a clinical nutritional therapist who works with Vitabiotics.

Stay hydrated