A multivitamin can turn urine bright yellow.
Urochrome is a breakdown product from dead blood cells in the liver, which the kidneys eliminate through urine. Urochrome is the reason urine is normally a pale yellow color. It can be unnerving when pale yellow turns to a neon yellow soon after taking a multivitamin supplement. This is nothing to be alarmed about. The reason behind the bright yellow is simply an excess of riboflavin.
Kidney Function
The kidneys process the liquids that the body has taken in as well as other material that has been collected from various processes that occur throughout the body. The kidneys eliminate excess water, salts, minerals, hormone waste, toxins, uric acid, etc. through the urine. The normal color is pale yellow but the more water it has, the clearer it will be.
Vitamins
Typically, the body does not absorb all of the nutrients in a vitamin supplement. Whatever the body cannot absorb will be excreted in urine. If the body does not need something it will either store it as fat or get rid of it through urine or feces. The human body was designed to abstract nutrients from food, not from supplements. It is best to get your daily vitamins and minerals from a variety of healthy, nutritious foods likes vegetables, fruits and lean proteins. But it is not always possible to get all of the necessary nutrients from a balanced diet and thus many supplement with a multivitamin pill.
Riboflavin
Riboflavin, or vitamin B2, comes from the Latin word "flavius" meaning blond. When the body takes in more riboflavin than it needs, it gets rid of it in urine. When urine is bright yellow after taking a vitamin pill, it is not harmful. It just indicates that the body took in more vitamin B2 than it needed at one time. According to Men's Health magazine, the structure of riboflavin causes it to be fluorescent yellow, so in turn your urine turns the same color.
The Role of Riboflavin
Riboflavin assists with energy production, helps with the breakdown of fat and protects cells from oxygen damage. The highest concentrations of riboflavin are found in the heart, liver and kidneys. Foods rich in riboflavin are beef, spinach, dairy products, soybeans, mushrooms, almonds, kidney, liver and wheat germ.
Symptoms of Vitamin B2 Deficiency
Symptoms of a vitamin B2 deficiency include sensitivity to light, tearing, inflammation of the tongue, insomnia or cracking of the skin around the mouth or peeling around the nose.
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