A case of Beeturia
Just the other day, Melvin pointed out to me, "Baby, my pee is red"
And my mind swirled immediately.
Bleeding Blabber?
Bleeding intestines?
Kidney problems?
But he's still so young?!
Must go and see doctor!
So this slight frown appeared on my face and my voice sounded nonchalant and calm to my ears when I asked, "You mean it's red-red, like there's blood? Do you need to see a doctor?"
Then he explained in his analytical tone that it's not really red but more to the pinkish/purplish hues, and he asked if it could be related to the ABC Juice that we had earlier. I thought that was possible and whisked my laptop down and started googling "Beetroot stain urine" and had my answer in a matter of minutes. Thank you internet!
According to BBC, a respectable source, this is known as Beeturia.
"Be aware that ingestion of beetroot can colour urine red and also discolour stools, causing the unwary to hot-foot it to their GP for urgent tests. The pinkness of your pee depends on the acidity of your stomach; some people don't see pink pee afterwards and some do (approximately 10 - 14%). If you don't see pink pee then your stomach is at the strongly acidic end of the normal range - if you do see pink pee then your stomach is at the less acidic end of normal, and the colour hasn't been broken down on the way through your gut.
Beeturia is a harmless occurrence and you do not have to exclude beetroot from your diet if you are affected by it. If you don't normally have pink-stained pee after consuming beetroot, you might like to try an experiment. Try taking some antacid1 tablets, then eat beetroot. Remember to look at what you're doing the next time you visit the toilet. That should satisfy your curiosity.
If your urine is coloured pink or red and you haven't ingested any beetroot, this is called haematuria and requires medical investigation to find out the cause."
By the way, ABC juice stands for the famous concoction of Apple-Beetroot-Carrot. Melvin had too much alcohol the night before on his bday and felt a strong need to detox, so we had fruits and juice for lunch. When I suggested ABC juice to him, for a lack of knowledge on detox diets, he looked at me strangely and refused to order from the fruit juice store fearing I'm pulling a prank on him.... Next time, I'll XYZ him....
And my mind swirled immediately.
Bleeding Blabber?
Bleeding intestines?
Kidney problems?
But he's still so young?!
Must go and see doctor!
So this slight frown appeared on my face and my voice sounded nonchalant and calm to my ears when I asked, "You mean it's red-red, like there's blood? Do you need to see a doctor?"
Then he explained in his analytical tone that it's not really red but more to the pinkish/purplish hues, and he asked if it could be related to the ABC Juice that we had earlier. I thought that was possible and whisked my laptop down and started googling "Beetroot stain urine" and had my answer in a matter of minutes. Thank you internet!
According to BBC, a respectable source, this is known as Beeturia.
"Be aware that ingestion of beetroot can colour urine red and also discolour stools, causing the unwary to hot-foot it to their GP for urgent tests. The pinkness of your pee depends on the acidity of your stomach; some people don't see pink pee afterwards and some do (approximately 10 - 14%). If you don't see pink pee then your stomach is at the strongly acidic end of the normal range - if you do see pink pee then your stomach is at the less acidic end of normal, and the colour hasn't been broken down on the way through your gut.
Beeturia is a harmless occurrence and you do not have to exclude beetroot from your diet if you are affected by it. If you don't normally have pink-stained pee after consuming beetroot, you might like to try an experiment. Try taking some antacid1 tablets, then eat beetroot. Remember to look at what you're doing the next time you visit the toilet. That should satisfy your curiosity.
If your urine is coloured pink or red and you haven't ingested any beetroot, this is called haematuria and requires medical investigation to find out the cause."
By the way, ABC juice stands for the famous concoction of Apple-Beetroot-Carrot. Melvin had too much alcohol the night before on his bday and felt a strong need to detox, so we had fruits and juice for lunch. When I suggested ABC juice to him, for a lack of knowledge on detox diets, he looked at me strangely and refused to order from the fruit juice store fearing I'm pulling a prank on him.... Next time, I'll XYZ him....