What Your Urine pH May Tell You about Your Health

Urine pH tests are used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of urine. Urine pH tests can be done by a health care provider, but you don’t have to see a doctor to have a urine pH test. In fact, it is possible to test your own urine pH by simply urinating on pH test strips, which are available from a variety of online sources.

Once you learn how to test your own urine pH, it’s obviously good to learn what an optimum urine pH reading would be, and also what an abnormal urine pH reading may tell you about your health. The healthiest urine pH readings hover around 7.0, usually fluctuating between 6.5 and 7.5. A higher urine pH reading would indicate that your system is more alkaline, while a lower urine pH indicates acid residues in your body. With diet and buffer supplements, it is possible to regulate your urine pH within healthy levels.

There are times when urine pH can indicate serious health issues. For example, a very high (alkaline) urine pH could be caused by kidney failure or a urinary tract infection. A very low (acidic) urine pH could be the result of lung disease, complications of diabetes, starvation, or diarrhea.