Published in:
Open Access 01-08-2016 | Original Contribution
Urine colour change as an indicator of change in daily water intake: a quantitative analysis
Published in: European Journal of Nutrition | Issue 5/2016
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Purpose
Urine colour (U
Col) is simple to measure, differs between low-volume and high-volume drinkers, and is responsive to changes in daily total fluid intake (TFI). However, to date, no study has quantified the relationship between a change in TFI and the resultant change in U
Col. This analysis aimed to determine the change in TFI needed to adjust 24-h U
Col by 2 shades on an 8-colour scale, and to evaluate whether starting U
Col altered the relationship between the change in TFI and change in U
Col.
Methods
We performed a pooled analysis on data from 238 healthy American and European adults (50 % male; age, 28 (sd 6) years; BMI 22.9 (sd 2.6) kg/m2), and evaluated the change in TFI, urine volume (U
Vol), and specific gravity (U
SG) associated with a change in U
Col of 2 shades.
Results
The mean [95 % CI] change in TFI and U
Vol associated with a decrease in U
Col by 2 shades (lighter) was 1110 [914;1306] and 1011 [851;1172] mL/day, respectively, while increasing U
Col by 2 shades (darker) required a reduction in TFI and U
Vol of −1114 [−885;−1343] and −977 [−787;−1166] mL/day. The change in U
Col was accompanied by changes in U
SG (lighter urine: −.008 [−.007;−.010]; darker urine: +.008 [.006;.009]). Starting U
Col did not significantly impact the TFI change required to modify U
Col by 2 shades.
Conclusions
Our results suggest a quantifiable relationship between a change in daily TFI and the resultant change in U
Col, providing individuals with a practical means for evaluating and adjusting hydration behaviours.