Strong, cloudy, foul-smelling urine has several possible causes, and some causes warrant more concern than others. Understanding the facts will allow you to know when it's time to contact your physician. Urine color and odor vary widely, but typically, healthy urine is light yellow with a slight ammonia-like odor. However, food, drink, and certain medications can affect the color and odor of your urine.

Cloudy urine happens mostly in the morning, or upon awakening, due to no fluid intake. This is quite normal and drinking fluids soon after sleeping for several hours is a good recommendation. Produce such as beets, blueberries and asparagus, along with vitamin B2, food coloring and prescription medications can also affect the color and odor of urine.

Urine color can range anywhere from clear to dark yellow, and even red, or orange. Clear urine is watered down urine with a relatively mild odor which usually represents someone who is well-hydrated. When the kidneys have less fluid, the odor will be a little stronger and darker with a stronger odor. So when urine is dark with a strong acidic odor, more than likely, you're simply not consuming enough fluids.

However, urine that has an exceptionally strong or foul odor, is a sign of infection but usually doesn't affect the color. Brown colored urine points to a liver problem. Pink or red urine strongly warrants a trip to the doctor.

In most cases, cloudy urine is totally harmless. Excess phosphate crystals can build up in urine, giving it a cloudy appearance. This typically happens after eating a large meal, or drinking a lot of milk, which is high in phosphate. Change in the color of urine is certainly cause for concern, especially if it is persistent.

White urine suggests an infection of the urinary tract. But conditions like this are accompanied by other symptoms such as burning or pain during urination. Murky, or turbid urine is another sign of a urinary tract infection. Murky urine may also be caused by the presence of bacteria, mucus, white blood cells or red blood cells.

Urine with an extremely acidic or foul odor also suggests infection, but doesn't affect the color. An adequate amount of fluids dilutes the urine, giving it a clear appearance. Clear urine is healthy unless you are drowning yourself in water which can cause water intoxication.

Water intoxication occurs when electrolytes are severely imbalanced due to extreme water consumption. Even so, water intoxication is very rare and normally happens in extreme situations such as athletic or drinking competitions and is quite unheard of under normal circumstances.

There are several medications that can change the color of urine. Certain foods with harsh dyes can also change the color such as candy and again, is nothing to worry about. It is wise to check your urine for color changes. Changes in the color of urine, not associated with food, beverages, or medicine, should be brought to your doctor's attention.

However, Jesus, the Great Physician, is the one to go to first. No one cares as much about you as the Savior.

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us." (1John 3:16)

Learn more about this author, Pat Lunsford.
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