Subjective vs. Objective Urine Color: Effect of Hydration Status

Tory Edwards; Rebekah Belasco; Alfonso Joaquin Munoz; Vernon Rayo; Michael Buono

doi:doi:10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12

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Subjective vs. Objective Urine Color: Effect of Hydration Status

Tory Edwards, Rebekah Belasco, Alfonso Joaquin Munoz, Vernon Rayo, Michael Buono

Published in Advances in Applied Physiology (Volume 5, Issue 2)

Received: 5 August 2020 Accepted: 24 August 2020 Published: 3 September 2020

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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the validity of urine color as a metric of hydration status using CIE L*a*b* color space, as compared to the commonly used subjective 8-point scale. Methods: A total of 151 urine samples were collected from subjects (N=28) in various states of hydration. Urine osmolality and urine specific gravity (USG) were measured in each sample. Urine color was assessed by the subjective 8-point urine color scale and quantified using CIE L*a*b* color space. RESULTS: The correlation between the CIE b*-value and urine osmolality (r_s=0.89) was determined to be significantly (p=0.004) greater than the correlation between the subjective 8-point urine color scale and urine osmolality (r_s=0.85). The correlation between the CIE b*-value and USG (r_s=0.90) was also determined to be significantly (p < 0.001) greater than the correlation between the urine color chart and USG (r_s=0.84). Lastly, the correlation between urine color as determined by the 8-point subjective urine color chart and the CIE b*-value had a strong relationship (r_s=0.92). Conclusions: The correlations of the quantitative CIE b*-value with urine osmolality and USG were significantly greater than the correlations with the 8-point subjective urine color scale. This suggests that a quantitative measurement of urine color via spectrophotometry is a better measure for assessing hydration status vs. subjective determination of urine color. The results of the current study raise the possibility of spectrophotometry as an additional non-invasive method of determining hydration status.

Published in	Advances in Applied Physiology (Volume 5, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12
Page(s)	19-23
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Urine Color, Urine Osmolality, CIE L*a*b* Color Space, Dehydration

References

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[2]	Armstrong, L. E., Johnson, E. C., Munoz, C. X., Swokla, B., Bellego, L. L., Jimenez, L., Casa, D. J., & Maresh, C. M. (2012). Hydration biomarkers and dietary fluid consumption of women. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 112 (7), 1056-1061. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.03.036.
[3]	Hahn, R. G., & Waldréus, N. (2013). An aggregate urine analysis tool to detect acute dehydration. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 23 (4), 303-311. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.23.4.303.
[4]	Kavouras, S. A., Johnson, E. C., Bougatsas, D., Arnaoutis, G., Panagiotakos, D. B., Perrier, E., & Klein, A. (2015). Validation of a urine color scale for assessment of urine osmolality in healthy children. European Journal of Nutrition, 55 (3), 907-915. doi: 10.1007/s00394-015-0905-2.
[5]	Armstrong, L. E., Pumerantz, A. C., Fiala, K. A., Roti, M. W., Kavouras, S. A., Casa, D. J., & Maresh, C. M. (2010). Human hydration indices: acute and longitudinal reference values. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 20 (2), 145-153. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.20.2.145.
[6]	Mckenzie, A. L., & Armstrong, L. E. (2017). Monitoring body water balance in pregnant and nursing women: the validity of urine color. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 70 (1), 18-22. doi: 10.1159/000462999.
[7]	Mentes, J. C., Wakefield, B., & Culp, K. (2006). Use of a urine color chart to monitor hydration status in nursing home residents. Biological Research For Nursing, 7 (3), 197-203. doi: 10.1177/1099800405281607.
[8]	Hasibuan, D., Ramayani, O., Sembiring, T., & Lubis, M. (2019). Relationship between urine color scale and urine specific gravity to hydration status in elementary school students. Global Journal For Research Analysis (GJRA), 8 (9). doi: 10.36106/gjra.
[9]	Mckenzie, A. L., Muñoz, C. X., Ellis, L. A., Perrier, E. T., Guelinckx, I., Klein, A.,... Armstrong, L. E. (2015). Urine color as an indicator of urine concentration in pregnant and lactating women. European Journal of Nutrition, 56 (1), 355-362. Doi: 10.1007/s00394-015-1085-9.
[10]	Fortes, M. B., Owen, J. A., Raymond-Barker, P., Bishop, C., Elghenzai, S., Oliver, S. J., & Walsh, N. P. (2015). Is this elderly patient dehydrated? Diagnostic accuracy of hydration assessment using physical signs, urine, and saliva markers. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 16 (3), 221-228. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2014.09.012.
[11]	Kovacs E. M., Senden J. M., & Brouns F. (1999). Urine color, osmolality and specific electrical conductance are not accurate measures of hydration status during postexercise rehydration. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 39: 47-53.
[12]	Cheuvront, S. N., Ely, B. R., Kenefick, R. W., & Sawka, M. N. (2010). Biological variation and diagnostic accuracy of dehydration assessment markers. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 92 (3), 565-573. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2010.29490.
[13]	Adams, W. M., Hevel, D. J., Maher, J. P., & Mcguirt, J. T. (2020). Racial and sex differences in 24 hour urinary hydration markers among male and female emerging adults: a pilot study. Nutrients, 12 (4), 1068. doi: 10.3390/nu12041068.
[14]	Zhang, N., Du, S., Zheng, M., Tang, Z., Yan, R., Zhu, Y., & Ma, G. (2017). Urine color for assessment of dehydration among college men students in Hebei, China-a cross-sectional study. Asia Pacific Journal Clinical Nutrition, 788-793.
[15]	Eid, M., Gollwitzer, M., & Schmitt, M. (2011). Statistik und forschungsmethoden lehrbuch. Weinheim: Beltz. p. 548.

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APA Style

Tory Edwards, Rebekah Belasco, Alfonso Joaquin Munoz, Vernon Rayo, Michael Buono. (2020). Subjective vs. Objective Urine Color: Effect of Hydration Status. Advances in Applied Physiology, 5(2), 19-23. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12

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ACS Style

Tory Edwards; Rebekah Belasco; Alfonso Joaquin Munoz; Vernon Rayo; Michael Buono. Subjective vs. Objective Urine Color: Effect of Hydration Status. Adv. Appl. Physiol. 2020, 5(2), 19-23. doi: 10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12

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AMA Style

Tory Edwards, Rebekah Belasco, Alfonso Joaquin Munoz, Vernon Rayo, Michael Buono. Subjective vs. Objective Urine Color: Effect of Hydration Status. Adv Appl Physiol. 2020;5(2):19-23. doi: 10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12

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@article{10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12,
  author = {Tory Edwards and Rebekah Belasco and Alfonso Joaquin Munoz and Vernon Rayo and Michael Buono},
  title = {Subjective vs. Objective Urine Color: Effect of Hydration Status},
  journal = {Advances in Applied Physiology},
  volume = {5},
  number = {2},
  pages = {19-23},
  doi = {10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.aap.20200502.12},
  abstract = {Purpose: To investigate the validity of urine color as a metric of hydration status using CIE L*a*b* color space, as compared to the commonly used subjective 8-point scale. Methods: A total of 151 urine samples were collected from subjects (N=28) in various states of hydration. Urine osmolality and urine specific gravity (USG) were measured in each sample. Urine color was assessed by the subjective 8-point urine color scale and quantified using CIE L*a*b* color space. RESULTS: The correlation between the CIE b*-value and urine osmolality (rs=0.89) was determined to be significantly (p=0.004) greater than the correlation between the subjective 8-point urine color scale and urine osmolality (rs=0.85). The correlation between the CIE b*-value and USG (rs=0.90) was also determined to be significantly (p s=0.84). Lastly, the correlation between urine color as determined by the 8-point subjective urine color chart and the CIE b*-value had a strong relationship (rs=0.92). Conclusions: The correlations of the quantitative CIE b*-value with urine osmolality and USG were significantly greater than the correlations with the 8-point subjective urine color scale. This suggests that a quantitative measurement of urine color via spectrophotometry is a better measure for assessing hydration status vs. subjective determination of urine color. The results of the current study raise the possibility of spectrophotometry as an additional non-invasive method of determining hydration status.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Subjective vs. Objective Urine Color: Effect of Hydration Status
AU - Tory Edwards
AU - Rebekah Belasco
AU - Alfonso Joaquin Munoz
AU - Vernon Rayo
AU - Michael Buono
Y1 - 2020/09/03
PY - 2020
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12
DO - 10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12
T2 - Advances in Applied Physiology
JF - Advances in Applied Physiology
JO - Advances in Applied Physiology
SP - 19
EP - 23
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2471-9714
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12
AB - Purpose: To investigate the validity of urine color as a metric of hydration status using CIE L*a*b* color space, as compared to the commonly used subjective 8-point scale. Methods: A total of 151 urine samples were collected from subjects (N=28) in various states of hydration. Urine osmolality and urine specific gravity (USG) were measured in each sample. Urine color was assessed by the subjective 8-point urine color scale and quantified using CIE L*a*b* color space. RESULTS: The correlation between the CIE b*-value and urine osmolality (rs=0.89) was determined to be significantly (p=0.004) greater than the correlation between the subjective 8-point urine color scale and urine osmolality (rs=0.85). The correlation between the CIE b*-value and USG (rs=0.90) was also determined to be significantly (p s=0.84). Lastly, the correlation between urine color as determined by the 8-point subjective urine color chart and the CIE b*-value had a strong relationship (rs=0.92). Conclusions: The correlations of the quantitative CIE b*-value with urine osmolality and USG were significantly greater than the correlations with the 8-point subjective urine color scale. This suggests that a quantitative measurement of urine color via spectrophotometry is a better measure for assessing hydration status vs. subjective determination of urine color. The results of the current study raise the possibility of spectrophotometry as an additional non-invasive method of determining hydration status.
VL - 5
IS - 2
ER -

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Author Information

Tory Edwards

School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, the United States
Rebekah Belasco

School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, the United States
Alfonso Joaquin Munoz

School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, the United States
Vernon Rayo

School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, the United States
Michael Buono

School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, the United States

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APA Style

Tory Edwards, Rebekah Belasco, Alfonso Joaquin Munoz, Vernon Rayo, Michael Buono. (2020). Subjective vs. Objective Urine Color: Effect of Hydration Status. Advances in Applied Physiology, 5(2), 19-23. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12

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ACS Style

Tory Edwards; Rebekah Belasco; Alfonso Joaquin Munoz; Vernon Rayo; Michael Buono. Subjective vs. Objective Urine Color: Effect of Hydration Status. Adv. Appl. Physiol. 2020, 5(2), 19-23. doi: 10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12

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AMA Style

Tory Edwards, Rebekah Belasco, Alfonso Joaquin Munoz, Vernon Rayo, Michael Buono. Subjective vs. Objective Urine Color: Effect of Hydration Status. Adv Appl Physiol. 2020;5(2):19-23. doi: 10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12

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@article{10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12,
  author = {Tory Edwards and Rebekah Belasco and Alfonso Joaquin Munoz and Vernon Rayo and Michael Buono},
  title = {Subjective vs. Objective Urine Color: Effect of Hydration Status},
  journal = {Advances in Applied Physiology},
  volume = {5},
  number = {2},
  pages = {19-23},
  doi = {10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aap.20200502.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.aap.20200502.12},
  abstract = {Purpose: To investigate the validity of urine color as a metric of hydration status using CIE L*a*b* color space, as compared to the commonly used subjective 8-point scale. Methods: A total of 151 urine samples were collected from subjects (N=28) in various states of hydration. Urine osmolality and urine specific gravity (USG) were measured in each sample. Urine color was assessed by the subjective 8-point urine color scale and quantified using CIE L*a*b* color space. RESULTS: The correlation between the CIE b*-value and urine osmolality (rs=0.89) was determined to be significantly (p=0.004) greater than the correlation between the subjective 8-point urine color scale and urine osmolality (rs=0.85). The correlation between the CIE b*-value and USG (rs=0.90) was also determined to be significantly (p s=0.84). Lastly, the correlation between urine color as determined by the 8-point subjective urine color chart and the CIE b*-value had a strong relationship (rs=0.92). Conclusions: The correlations of the quantitative CIE b*-value with urine osmolality and USG were significantly greater than the correlations with the 8-point subjective urine color scale. This suggests that a quantitative measurement of urine color via spectrophotometry is a better measure for assessing hydration status vs. subjective determination of urine color. The results of the current study raise the possibility of spectrophotometry as an additional non-invasive method of determining hydration status.},
 year = {2020}
}

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