What does fact checked mean?
At Healthfully, we strive to deliver objective content that is accurate and up-to-date. Our team periodically reviews articles in order to ensure content quality. The sources cited below consist of evidence from peer-reviewed journals, prominent medical organizations, academic associations, and government data.
The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a professional health care provider. Please check with the appropriate physician regarding health questions and concerns. Although we strive to deliver accurate and up-to-date information, no guarantee to that effect is made.
How to Decrease Urine PH
The body's pH is important. A pH in the healthy range indicates that your body is metabolizing vitamins and minerals properly. Urine pH testing is often done to establish a body's general pH 1. In addition to everyday health, the secretion of acidic or alkaline urine is helpful in controlling diseases, including bacteriuria (when bacteria are present in the urine), and renal calculi (kidney stones). Dietary changes can help you to control your urine's pH without having to spend money on medicine 1.
Perform a Urine pH Test
Clean your genitals with warm, soapy water. Wipe with either a washcloth or sterile wipes. Men should retract the foreskin and wash the tip of the penis well. Women should spread open the labia and wipe with a clean washcloth. Rinse well after. This will prevent things such as sweat and other contaminants from affecting the pH test results.
How to Tell What My Body's PH Balance Is?
Learn More
Urinate a little bit into the toilet before taking the test. The initial part of the stream is often not good for getting a baseline pH reading.
Urinate the rest into a sterile, plastic container.
How to Raise the Urine PH Level
Learn More
Dip the litmus into the urine inside the plastic container. The paper will turn a color. litmus paper comes with a chart for matching colors to actual pH values. Normal values for urine pH range from 4.6 to 8.0; however, between 6.0 and 7.0 is ideal 1. A high pH is known as "alkaline," while a low pH is "acidic."
- Clean your genitals with warm, soapy water.
- Dip the litmus into the urine inside the plastic container.
Changing Urine pH
Reduce the amount of fruits, legumes and vegetables in your diet. Diets high in these tend to produce alkaline urine.
Increase the amount of meat and/or cranberry juice in your diet.
Retest your urine pH weekly in order to monitor progress 1.
Tips
Taking more than one urine pH test will provide a more accurate baseline. Urine pH can vary depending on time of day (it tends to be more acidic when waking, for example).
If your are unable to change your urine's pH as desired through dietary changes, drugs such as ammonium chloride, thiazide diuretics and methenamine mandelate decrease urine pH. If you decide to take medicine, follow the drug's or a doctor's instructions.
Warnings
If your urine's pH is consistently above or below the normal range, it may be a sign of a medical condition. Consult a doctor if this is the case.
- Reduce the amount of fruits, legumes and vegetables in your diet.
- Increase the amount of meat and/or cranberry juice in your diet.
Related Articles
References
- Rnceus.com: Urine pH
- Medline Plus: Urine pH
- UCSF Medical Center: Urine pH test
- Cigna.com: Urine pH test
- Perrier ET, Johnson EC, McKenzie AL, Ellis LA, Armstrong LE. Urine colour change as an indicator of change in daily water intake: a quantitative analysis. Eur J Nutr. 2016;55(5):1943–1949. doi:10.1007/s00394-015-1010-2
- Cortes-Penfield NW, Trautner BW, Jump RLP. Urinary Tract Infection and Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Older Adults. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2017;31(4):673–688. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2017.07.002
- Dreger NM, Degener S, Ahmad-Nejad P, Wöbker G, Roth S. Urosepsis--Etiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2015;112(49):837–848. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2015.0837
- Jump RL, Crnich CJ, Nace DA. Cloudy, Foul-Smelling Urine Not a Criteria for Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection in Older Adults. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2016;17(8):754. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2016.04.009
- Kang KK, Choi JR, Song JY, et al. Clinical significance of subjective foamy urine. Chonnam Med J. 2012;48(3):164–168. doi:10.4068/cmj.2012.48.3.164
- Blackburn PR, Gass JM, Vairo FPE, et al. Maple syrup urine disease: mechanisms and management. Appl Clin Genet. 2017;10:57–66. Published 2017 Sep 6. doi:10.2147/TACG.S125962
- Prakash S, Saini S, Mullick P, Pawar M. Green urine: A cause for concern?. J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol. 2017;33(1):128–130. doi:10.4103/0970-9185.202190
- Torres PA, Helmstetter JA, Kaye AM, Kaye AD. Rhabdomyolysis: pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment. Ochsner J. 2015;15(1):58–69. PMID: 25829882
- Rehfuss A, Mahon J, Sorokin I, Smith C, Stein BS. Phenazopyridine: A Preoperative Way to Identify Ureteral Orifices. Urology. 2018;115:36-38. doi:10.1016/j.urology.2018.02.023
- American Urological Association. Diagnosis, Evaluation and Follow-up of Asymptomatic Microhematuria (AMH) in Adults. 2016.
- Worku DA. Purple urine bag syndrome: An unusual but important manifestation of urinary tract infection. Case report and literature review. SAGE Open Med Case Rep. 2019;7:2050313X18823105. Published 2019 Jan 12. doi:10.1177/2050313X18823105
- Alkaptonuria. National Institutes of Health. Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. 3/18/2016
- Seo JW, Lee JH, Son IS, et al. Acute oxalate nephropathy caused by ethylene glycol poisoning. Kidney Res Clin Pract. 2012;31(4):249–252. doi:10.1016/j.krcp.2012.09.007
- Urinalysis. Visual Examination. Lab Tests Online. https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/urinalysis/ui-exams
Tips
- Taking more than one urine pH test will provide a more accurate baseline. Urine pH can vary depending on time of day (it tends to be more acidic when waking, for example).
- If your are unable to change your urine's pH as desired through dietary changes, drugs such as ammonium chloride, thiazide diuretics and methenamine mandelate decrease urine pH. If you decide to take medicine, follow the drug's or a doctor's instructions.
Warnings
- If your urine's pH is consistently above or below the normal range, it may be a sign of a medical condition. Consult a doctor if this is the case.