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Which Vitamin Causes Yellow Urine

Leena Palande
Worried because of dark yellow urine? Are you taking supplements? Read on, to know what vitamin causes yellow urine. Dark yellow urine due to intake of certain vitamins can be overlooked, but dark urine due to an underlying health condition needs prompt medical attention. Read ahead....
Not only urine analysis, but urine color, odor or appearance also helps diagnose any underlying health condition. Urine is the excretory product that contains water and waste material like chemicals, dead blood cells, from the body. Regular discharge of urine helps prevent the horrifying effects of unwanted substances in the body.
Pale yellow colored or colorless urine is considered as normal urine. What causes yellow urine? What vitamin causes yellow urine? The following section provides information on urine color and causes of dark urine.

Can Intake of Vitamin Supplements Cause Yellow Urine?

Your body processes whatever you eat and drink. Urine contains waste products from ingested food. So urine color depends on what you eat and drink. You might have noticed red colored urine after eating beet root, blackberries or rhubarb. Consumption of asparagus gives yellow color to urine.
Whatever you have breathed or been exposed to also determines urine color. Many times, while on supplements, dark urine is noticed. There is nothing to worry about this. As soon as you stop taking vitamins or mineral supplements, urine attains its normal color.
Consumption of multivitamins, B vitamins, B-complex vitamin supplement results in yellow urine. Intake of E vitamin can also lead to yellow urine. Vitamin B2 and B12 are the common culprits which make your urine dark yellow.
Dyes used in the tablets can turn your urine yellow. Intake of vitamin C can result in golden yellow or orange colored urine. Similarly, beta carotene supplements can make the urine dark yellow. Now, let us take a look at other causes of dark urine.

Dark Yellow Urine Causes

Dehydration

One of the main causes of dark yellow urine is dehydration. Insufficient intake of water can lead to concentrated urine that has dark yellow color. Low body fluid level makes the urine concentrated.
One should drink at least 7-8 glasses of water per day. Soups, milk, milkshakes, fruit and vegetable juices help increase water level in the body. Excessive intake of caffeine can result in dehydration. Similarly, strenuous exercise, profound sweating can lead to dehydration.

Diseases and Disorders

Many times, pregnant women notice dark yellow urine. Dehydration due to nausea and vomiting, cystitis or urinary tract infection can cause dark yellow urine during pregnancy. For normal people, it can be a sign of acute kidney failure.
Certain other disorders like hemolytic anemia (abnormal break down of red blood cells resulting in their excretion through urine) may give a reddish brown tinge to urine.
Excretion of red blood cells through urine also takes place if one is suffering from kidney stones, urinary tract infection, gallstones, etc. The urine may then look dark yellow or reddish. Dark yellow urine causes include kidney infection, bladder infection, urinary tract infection and copper poisoning.
Certain life-threatening diseases like melanoma, skin cancer or other cancers exhibit the symptom 'dark yellow urine'. Actually, numerous diseases and disorders can lead to dark yellow urine. Jaundice, liver cirrhosis, other liver diseases, cystitis are just some examples.

Medicines

Apart from food and supplements, intake of certain medications can lead to dark yellow colored urine.
Like the color, the odor of the urine changes according to its contents. Similarly, burning sensation while urinating suggests urinary tract infection or kidney infection. Urine may appear bubbly or foamy. It may be cloudy if it contains some abnormal substances.
A clear, light yellow colored urine without any strong, offensive odor is considered as normal urine. Now that you know which vitamin causes yellow urine, there is nothing to worry about the dark yellow color of the urine.
If the color change is due to vitamin intake, then the urine will retain its original color as soon as you stop taking the supplement. If not, then you should consult your physician immediately.