5 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT URINE

Are you looking for some interesting facts about urine? Well, you’re in the right place. Here, we’re going to explain what urine is and some very fascinating facts that you probably aren’t aware of yet.

Urine is a waste product that is produced by the kidneys during the process of cleaning the blood. Urine is made up of water, dissolved substances, and toxic metabolites.

The blood enters the functional units of kidneys called nephrons. These nephrons are able to clean the incoming blood via the process of filtration. The composition of filtrate is then altered via reabsorption and secretion processes to finally make the urine.¹

Is urine really necessary for the proper functioning of the body? Urine production is the only way the body can get rid of the toxic stuff present in the blood. In addition to this, the kidneys regulate blood volume and electrolytes by changing the urine concentration. A person who is unable to urinate can really get very sick requiring emergency medical treatments.

Here are some fun facts about urine:

1. 95% of your urine is water

Most of the urine produced is just water. Studies have shown that 91 to 96 percent of the urine is made up of water and the rest is urea, uric acid, creatine, and other waste products.

2. You produce urine in litres!

According to the calculations done in the laboratory, a normal healthy person produces more than 1 litre urine per day. Yes! It is about 800 millilitres to 2 litres in a single day.²

3. Urine was once used as a teeth whitener

In ancient times, Roman doctors actually advised their patients to rinse their teeth with their own urine to whiten their teeth. Another exciting thing is that it really worked. The reason behind this has been found now which is that ammonia, present in the urine, works as teeth whitener.³

4. Changes in urine smell help diagnose medical conditions

Many medical conditions and ailments change urine odour. Doctors thus order a urine sample and diagnose the underlying problem just by smelling the urine. One such common example is sweet-smelling urine in diabetes.⁴

5. Eatables change your urine colour and smell

What you eat always affects your urine odour and tinge. Leafy vegetables and the foods rich in B vitamins change the colour of urine.

References

1. Edwards, J. G. The formation of urine. Arch. Intern. Med.65, 800–824 (1940).
2. Urine 24-hour volume: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003425.htm.
3. You won’t believe what people of Roman Empire used urine for – they laughed at this themselves | Technology Org. https://www.technology.org/2019/07/19/you-wont-believe-what-people-of-roman-empire-used-urine-for-they-laughed-at-this-themselves/.
4. When the urine smells – Strong urine smell. https://www.tena.co.uk/articles/urine-smell.