Did you wake up today wondering why your pee is yellow? Me neither, but the answer was revealed in a study published in early January.
Since the dawn of modern history (around 12,000 years ago, because Big Archaeology pretends nothing really happened before then) humans have wondered why, oh why, is our pee yellow? (Not). This is an all-consuming concern for you, dear reader, but fear not! After 150 years of research, we apparently have an answer.
A study published January 3 in the journal Nature Microbiology identified bilirubin (BilR) as the reason healthy pee is the color of gold. BilR is a byproduct of old red blood cells that have been broken down through bodily processes, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
OUT NOW: uncovering a gut bacteria-encoded enzyme that reduces bilirubin to urobilinogen@jiang_bioinfo https://t.co/UvrWVe0eYG
— Nature Microbiology (@NatureMicrobiol) January 4, 2024
When these blood cells break down and pass through our liver, they mix with other waste products and create bile. The process takes about six months as “gut microbes encode the enzyme bilirubin reductase that converts bilirubin into a colorless byproduct called urobilinogen,” researcher Brantley Hall told Maryland Today.
“Urobilinogen then spontaneously degrades into a molecule called urobilin, which is responsible for the yellow color we are all familiar with.” (RELATED: Apparently It’s Easier To Get Bladder Surgery And Botox Than To Pee During Long Drives To The Hamptons)
Thank you to the researchers at the University of Maryland and the National Institute of Health for finally figuring out the answer to a question that has haunted humanity forever. I know I can sleep easier with this information in my pocket. Could y’all figure out how to fix the food supply chain and maybe cure cancer next? That would be cool.