What the colour of your urine says about your health, according to an expert

It may look like something you would expect in B&Q or Homebase.

Still, this chart isn’t meant to compare paint color – instead it’s used by the NHS to rate your urine.

It charts a scale from clear to dark brown, with a pale straw color best — indicating you’re well hydrated.

On the other hand, a tan would suggest that you are very dehydrated.

Still, the chart, used by doctors for decades, leaves out a range of other factors.

So, where do you stand if your urine falls somewhere else on the color spectrum? And what does it mean if your pee is green?

MailOnline spoke to Dr. Leyla Hannbeck, a pharmacist and CEO of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies to find out which shades are actually a cause for concern.

Darker urine indicates you’re not drinking enough and may be dehydrated, she told MailOnline.

Dehydration can cause fatigue, headaches and nausea and can have more serious health consequences for the very young and the elderly.

The effects can be both physical, resulting in lethargy, and mental, causing a lack of concentration.

But dark urine can also indicate other health problems, including liver failure, or can be a side effect of some medications.

“Orange/brown urine could be caused by anti-inflammatory drugs or some chemotherapy drugs,” she said.

Or it could be a sign of jaundice, she added.

Jaundice is usually caused when the bile duct — which carries bile from the liver to the gallbladder, where it is stored — becomes blocked by a cyst, gallstone, or possibly a tumor.

“If people are concerned about the color of their urine, they should talk to their pharmacist or GP,” she advised.

However, pale yellow urine is an indicator of good hydration, Dr. Hannbeck told MailOnline.

The NHS recommends drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water a day regardless of gender, age or weight, while in the US the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine have broken it down more specifically.

It suggests that men need about 3,600 ml of fluids, while women need 2,600 ml.

This includes fluids from water, other beverages, and food — about 20 percent of daily fluid intake usually comes from food and the rest from beverages.

Dr. However, Hannbeck warns that clear urine can also be a bad sign.

Urine that occasionally appears clear is not a cause for alarm, but urine that always appears clear may indicate that you need to drink less water.

‘Drinking too much can dilute the electrolytes, often having clear urine is not a good thing,’ said Dr Hannbeck.

Some research also suggests that urinating more than eight or nine times a day could mean you have an overactive bladder, although this varies by age, lifestyle, and health.

Clear urine can also indicate liver problems such as cirrhosis, Dr. Hannbeck told MailOnline.

If you don’t drink large amounts of water and have persistently clear urine, “see your doctor,” she recommended.

But what if you discover that your urine is green or even blue?

Blue and green urine is likely related to diet, with some foods and drinks, including asparagus, causing your urine to take on a greenish hue. But health problems can also do this, said Dr. Hannbeck.

An excess of B vitamins can cause urine to turn yellow or greenish in color.

“Some bacterial infections can also cause urine to appear green or blue,” she added, including infections caused by a particular bacteria, pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Meanwhile, the start of some drug regimens can also “cause discoloration,” because of “the way drugs interact with the body, with drugs being flushed out by the kidneys,” she added.

Some foods, including rhubarb and blueberries, can cause urine to take on a red or pink hue.

Don’t be alarmed if you’ve also eaten beetroot recently, as urine may appear red or pink after eating fruits with naturally deep pink or magenta pigments.

But red urine can often be a cause for concern.

Blood in your pee isn’t always a red flag, but it could indicate an infection or other more serious problems.

Medical problems such as “enlarged prostate, kidney stones, tumors in the bladder” can cause blood in the urine, Dr. Hannbeck said.

“Some laxatives and some antibiotics can also make urine look red,” she added.

“Urine color should return to normal after a few days if the color is caused by food or medication.

“But if it persists and especially if there is blood in the urine that makes it dark red or pink or if it is orange – which could indicate kidney or bladder disease – people should see their doctor.”