Urine pH is one of the different parameters obtained during a complete body check-up, and it reflects metabolic activity as well as overall well-being and urinary health.
What is a normal urine pH value?
In a healthy person, urine pH typically has a value of 6.2. However, due to its fluctuating nature, it can range from 4.5 to 8, largely depending on diet, waste products, metabolic changes, and other causes.
Maintaining urine pH at the appropriate level is essential to prevent possible recurrences of lithiasis episodes.
What does a high urine pH value indicate?
If the urine is alkaline, i.e., with a pH greater than 6.2, and crystals are present in the urine, the perfect conditions exist for the formation of infectious or calcium phosphate stones, or calcium oxalate stones induced by calcium phosphate.
What does a low urine pH value indicate?
If the urine has a high level of acidity, i.e., a pH lower than 5.5, and crystals are also present in the urine, appropriate conditions exist for the formation of cystine or uric acid stones, or calcium oxalate stones induced by uric acid.
How can I know my urine pH?
There are several methods for measuring urinary pH:
- The Lit-Control®pH Meter 2.0 medical device is the most innovative method on the market. It allows you to measure your pH at home with even greater accuracy than a laboratory (since the urine analysis is immediate), and you get the results instantly. Furthermore, it has a Bluetooth connection so you can automatically sync all your measurements with the myLitControl® App and stay monitored.
- Test strips: This is the most popular method, as it has been on the market for years and is inexpensive. Test strips are an alternative for those who only want an approximate analysis, as their accuracy is not 100% reliable. They work by color, and each of us can interpret them differently, plus they give measurements in whole units; you will never see decimals.
- Laboratory analyses are a precise method, though a bit cumbersome, as they cannot be done from your home, and you have to wait a few days for the results. Another drawback of this measurement is that by the time the urine reaches the laboratory, it is no longer "fresh urine," and the time elapsed and temperature changes can alter the actual pH values.
How can I keep my urine pH within the proper range?
In addition to a balanced diet, to maintain good urinary health you can use the food supplements Lit-Control® pH Up (to increase your pH), Lit-Control® pH Down (to decrease your pH), and Lit-Control® pH Balance (to maintain your pH).
Sources:
*GRASES F, et al: A new device for simple and accurate urinary pH testing by the Stone-former patient. SpringerPlus 2014 3:209
