Why Do Supplements Cause Urine to Turn Bright Yellow?

We've likely all noticed that, a day after enjoying a meal containing sugar beets, bathroom visits become noticeably more colourful. At first, the bright red hue can be quite startling, often sparking concerns about possible health issues. However, beets aren’t the only foods that reveal themselves in this way during bathroom breaks.

A similar effect can occur with multivitamins, which frequently result in bright, almost neon-yellow urine (a hue far bolder than standard yellow—impossible to miss!).

Once initial worries about health are set aside, we may wonder: are we simply flushing away the benefits of our vitamin regimen?

Thankfully, that’s not entirely true.

Fat-Soluble vs. Water-Soluble Vitamins and Their Effects on Urine Color

Vitamins fall into two types: fat-soluble and water-soluble.

• Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) are stored in the liver when consumed in amounts beyond the body’s immediate needs.
• The water-soluble cousins, however – includingvitamin B1 (thiamin),vitamin B2 (riboflavin),vitamin B3,vitamin B6, folate,vitamin B12,biotin,pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) andvitamin C - are flushed out of the body every day after the body absorbs what it needs.

Riboflavin is the vitamin linked to that vivid yellow urine. Its name, derived from the Latin wordflavus (meaning yellow or blonde), hints at this distinctive colour.

Discovered in the 1800s and named in the 1930s, riboflavin is included in most multivitamin blends. It supports physical growth, red blood cell production, and helps convert carbohydrates into energy.

However, riboflavin isn’t the only nutrient that influences bathroom experiences. For instance, excess vitamin C can cause bright orange urine as it is eliminated.

Lower Quality Supplements Can Lead to Brighter Yellow Urine

Inexpensive “supermarket” supplements tend to contain high amounts of low-quality, synthetic vitamins, often missing essential, higher-quality nutrients. In excess, these synthetic vitamins can even act as pro-oxidants, potentially doing more harm than good.

The body may struggle to utilise these low-quality vitamins, which are then excreted in urine. Ironically, this can mean that the money spent on these supplements is wasted due to their limited benefits.

Comparing Cheap and Quality Supplements for Urine Colour

Take vitamin C, for example. Many lower-cost supplements contain ascorbic acid, while at Xtendlife, we use a combination of calcium ascorbate and ascorbyl palmitate, superior and more costly forms of vitamin C.

Similarly, riboflavin has a more bioavailable form. Although some may assume that there’s only one version of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), better forms do exist. Xtendlife usesriboflavin-5-phosphate, a form that the body absorbs more effectively and consistently. Quality ingredients like these reduce waste, as the body doesn’t need to flush out unnecessary excess.

The yellow or orange urine resulting from poor-quality supplements is often a clear sign that the body isn’t effectively using the ingredients. Choosing Xtendlife’sOmega 3 Range and especially theTotal Balance range ensures maximised bioavailability, efficacy, and value, with far less waste, as nutrients are thoroughly absorbed.

The Health Takeaway

That means the yellow or orange urine that often results from taking poor quality supplements is a clear indication that your body is not utilizing the product’s ingredients as it should be. By taking superior quality supplements such as theOmega 3 Range and especially theTotal Balance range from Xtendlife, your body (and wallet) will benefit from the maximum bio-availability of our synergistic high quality ingredients and significantly reduced waste during the digestion process, as the nutrients are fully absorbed. Our quality ingredients and state-of-the-art delivery systems ensure maximum bio-availability, efficacy and value for money.