Beeturia is the passing of red or pink

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excreted from the body through the urethra. Cellul ...

after eating

beetroot The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant, usually known in North America as beets while the vegetable is referred to as beetroot in British English, and also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet, dinner beet or golden bee ...

s or foods colored with beetroot extract or beetroot

pigments A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compoun ...

. The color is caused by the excretion of betalain (betacyanin) pigments such as

betanin Betanin, or Beetroot Red, is a red glycosidic food dye obtained from beets; its aglycone, obtained by hydrolyzing away the glucose molecule, is betanidin. As a food additive, its E number is E162. The color of betanin depends on pH; between fo ...

. The coloring is highly variable between individuals and between different occasions, and can vary in intensity from invisible to strong. The pigment is sensitive to

oxidative Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a ...

degradation under strongly

acid In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a se ...

ic conditions. Therefore, the urine coloring depends on

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...

acidity and dwell time as well as the presence of protecting substances such as

oxalic acid Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and formula . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name comes from the fact that early invest ...

. Beeturia is often associated with red or pink feces.Allergy Advisor - Beeturia
Compiled by Karen du Plessis, Food & Allergy Consulting & Testing Services. Retrieved on January 1, 2013

Cause

The red color seen in beeturia is caused by the presence of unmetabolized betalain pigments such as betanin in beetroot passed through the body. The pigments are absorbed in the colon. Betalains are oxidation-sensitive

redox indicator A redox indicator (also called an oxidation-reduction indicator) is an indicator which undergoes a definite color change at a specific electrode potential. The requirement for fast and reversible color change means that the oxidation-reduction e ...

s that are decolorized by

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid. It is a component of the gastric acid in the dige ...

ferric ion In chemistry, iron(III) refers to the element iron in its +3 oxidation state. In ionic compounds (salts), such an atom may occur as a separate cation (positive ion) denoted by Fe3+. The adjective ferric or the prefix ferri- is often used to sp ...

s, and colonic bacteria preparations. The

gut flora Gut microbiota, gut microbiome, or gut flora, are the microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses that live in the digestive tracts of animals. The gastrointestinal metagenome is the aggregate of all the genomes of the gut m ...

play a not-yet-evaluated role in the breakdown of the pigment.

Explanations

* There is some relationship to

iron deficiency Iron deficiency, or sideropenia, is the state in which a body lacks enough iron to supply its needs. Iron is present in all cells in the human body and has several vital functions, such as carrying oxygen to the tissues from the lungs as a key ...

. * There is no known relation to deficiencies in liver metabolism or removal from the body by the kidneys. * There is no known direct genetic influence, and no single gene variant, that differentiates excreters from non-excreters.

Factors affecting beeturia

The extent of excreted pigment depends on: * The pigment content of the meal, including: ** The type of beetroot (for instance, the pigment concentration of the ''Detroit Rubidus'' variety is twice that of the ''Firechief'' variety) ** The addition of concentrated beetroot extract as a

food additive Food additives are substances added to food to preserve Taste, flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives have been used for centuries as part of an effort to preserve food, for example vinegar (pickling), sal ...

to certain processed foods ** The storage conditions of the meal, including

light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 t ...

, heat, and

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements ...

exposure, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles that all could degrade the pigments * Urine volume, affecting the dilution of the dye * The

acidity and dwell time * The presence of protecting substances such as oxalic acid in the meal and during intestinal passage * Medications that affect stomach acidity such as

proton pump inhibitor Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a class of medications that cause a profound and prolonged reduction of stomach acid production. They do so by irreversibly inhibiting the stomach's H+/K+ ATPase proton pump. They are the most potent inhibitor ...

References

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External links

Beeturia
- Allergy Advisor Symptoms and signs: Urinary system Urine

Cause

Explanations

Factors affecting beeturia

See also

References

External links