Yellow urine

[Shatnerfan]

Is yellow urine a sign of 'holding it in' for too long? That's what I was always told as a youngster, but I have heard some people dismiss it as an 'old wives tale' that is untrue.

[BenDToy]

I doubt it, but I have heard it said that it may indicate not drinking enough - they probably mean water unfortunately ;-)

[Wispy68]

It's usually that the darker your urine is, the more dehydrated you are, so clearer is better!

[donniedarko]

'Yellow Urine' seems to be a common symptom in a wide range of circumstances, eg. Taking vitamin supplements, dehydration, hepatitis, assorted kidney ailments etc. If combined with any other 'peculiarities' then seek medical advice.

[sft42]

i just know you don't eat the yellow snow that's all.

[jamesr]

I know someone who went on hunger strike for a week and there urine was bright yellow, which would indicate lack of food = ....

[dirty gravy]

The main components of urine are (salt) water and waste products. The major waste product from cells in the body is ammonia, and the major waste product from blood is a broken form of heme called bilirubin. In the liver, each of these is converted into a less hazardous form: ammonia is converted to urea, and bilirubin is broken into urobilins. Salt, water, and urea are all colorless, but urobilins (which come from degraded pigments) are yellow. So, if you drink a lot, your urine will be more dilute and clearer, and if you get dehydrated, your urine will contain less water and be darker yellow.