Lime Green Pee Explained: What Does It Say About Your Health?

When a person needs to pee, it is not common to seriously think about the urine unless it is urgent. As the person makes it to the restroom, a sigh of relief and quick flushing is enough to go about one's day. However, there are times when changes in the color and consistency of the urine are noticeable, and a person starts to wonder if it is still normal. Although normal urine color can vary, it is unusual to notice a lime-green color.

When is Lime Green Pee Considered Harmless?

While normal urine has a typical light-yellow color, having lime green pee is not a cause for concern, according to urogynecologist Rachel High from the Center for Restorative Pelvic Medicine at Houston Methodist. Some substances, such as food, drinks, or certain medications, have green or blue dye, which passes through the kidney's filtering mechanism. This is usually harmless and can persist for only a short time.

Some dark, leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and kale, can give a greenish stain when taken in large amounts. This is due to the presence of the chlorophyll organic compound, which makes the plants green.

Meanwhile, green and blue artificial blue dyes can cause the green discoloration of urine when consumed in significant amounts. Artificial colorings are usually present in colorful cereals, candies, and sodas. The stain can last up to six hours and gets cleared in the next urination. On the other hand, the dyes used in medical procedures performed in the kidneys or bladder can also be the culprit.

Certain medications, like capsules and coated tablets, contain an artificial dye called indigotin. This substance turns the urine green, especially when taken on an empty stomach during an extended fasting period. Other drugs that can give lime green pee are promethazine, Vitamin B, and triamterene.

Serious Causes of Green Urine

The green color in urine becomes a significant issue when other unusual signs accompany it. Lime green pee can be an uncommon indicator of urinary tract infection, particularly by a type of bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They thrive in soil, water, and plants and can pass through food, contaminated hands, and medical equipment. If this group of bacteria infects a person's urinary tract, the urine turns green due to pyocyanin production.

Another health-related cause of green urine is familial benign hypercalcemia (FBH). This genetic disorder results from too much retention of calcium by the kidney. The high amount of calcium in the bloodstream increases the production of indican, a naturally occurring blue compound. The urine becomes blue-green when the excess indican is not filtered out in the kidney.

Hepatitis can also be a culprit of lime green pee. The inflammation of the liver results in the accumulation of a yellow compound called bilirubin. As the liver gradually fails to filter blood, bilirubin spreads into the bloodstream. The excess bilirubin is flushed out through the urine, which initially appears greenish, then changes to a dark cola color as hepatitis gets worse.