Vitamin B Complex and Green Urine

Vitamin B Complex: Urine Discoloration

The Cleveland Clinic explains that B vitamins have been shown to give urine an unusual greenish tinge, but it is not necessarily a cause for concern. B vitamins cause urine to appear yellow more often than green.

Vitamin B complex supplements often combine all eight of the B vitamins within one convenient capsule. One of the eight is riboflavin, which helps metabolize fats, proteins and carbohydrates into glucose for energy. However, it also has a yellow-green fluorescent pigment, which is what causes the bright yellow pee.

Role of Water-Soluble Vitamins

All water-soluble vitamins are part of the vitamin B group, except vitamin C. The Harvard Help Guide explains that eight vitamins make up the B group:

  • Biotin (vitamin B7)
  • Folic acid (folate, vitamin B9)
  • Niacin (vitamin B3)
  • Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
  • Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
  • Thiamin (vitamin B1)
  • Vitamin B6
  • Vitamin B12

Each has its own specific benefits and roles in the body, including maintaining the health of the nervous system and the metabolizing of fats and proteins into glucose so they can be used as energy.

For energy production, the key B vitamins are thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and biotin, so these are often the nutrients you may need to supplement if you are experiencing excessive tiredness or fatigue.

Urine and Vitamins: Myths

There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding vitamin supplements, specifically the supplements made up of water-soluble vitamins like those of the B complex. Unlike fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins cannot be stored for extended periods of time so they are expelled from the body much more quickly than fat-soluble vitamins.

However, this does not mean that they are immediately removed from the body on a daily basis, and it definitely does not mean that all water-soluble vitamins consumed are then immediately urinated out of the system, providing no benefit at all.

To truly understand how inaccurate this assumption is, the purpose of urine should be examined: Urine accumulates in the kidneys once these organs have finished purifying the blood. Therefore, if there are any excess vitamins that can be disposed of, the body will do so through the urine, which is why it can occasionally become discolored.

What Happens to Excess Vitamins?

The key word here is excess — if the body is expelling excess amounts of a particular vitamin, it means you have a sufficient level present in your body. This is a good thing. Though a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet are definitely the best way to get the vitamins necessary for bodily functions to be carried out effectively, supplements can be a positive way to fortify this intake and reduce the likelihood of deficiency.

Urine Discoloration as a Symptom

Passing urine is so routine you may not even think about it — unless there is a significant change in color or odor such as bright yellow pee from riboflavin or a strong odor from vitamin B6.

However, while many of the side effects of vitamin B in urine are entirely innocuous, urine discoloration can also be a sign of something more serious.

University of San Diego Health describes three potential causes for concern:

  • Dark yellow urine: This can signal dehydration — not overly worrisome in and of itself, but a problem that is easily solved by increasing the amount of fluid you drink. Continued dehydration can lead to much more serious health concerns, however.
  • Red urine: This could be a sign of blood in the urine, which in turn is a potential sign of kidney stones, an infection or even a tumor in the urinary tract. If there is any blood present in your urine it is important to consult a health care professional as soon as possible for advice.
  • Blue urine: Blue urine can occur from rare instances of a metabolic disorder in which intestinal breakdown of tryptophan cannot be completed. Contact your health care professional if your urine looks blue.

Medication and Urine Color

Harvard Health Publishing says that four urinary discolorations may be caused by particular medications:

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