What your urine is telling you

You may not think to inspect your urine after using the toilet, but it could be the key to learning about any health problems you may have.

Pale yellow is arguably the most common colour of urine, with 96 per cent made up of water and the small remainder waste products. The shade stems from a yellow pigment called urochrome, a by-product of the breakdown of the green bile that aids digestion.

While urochrome doesn't actually have a purpose, Marc Laniado, a urologist at Windsor Urology, Berkshire, explains that it is useful in looking at how diluted urine is.