Evidence-Based Supplement & Herb Guides

Urine Oxalate Test: Kidney Stone Risk, High Oxalate, and Calcium Oxalate Stones

Learn how a urine oxalate test evaluates calcium oxalate stone risk, what high oxalate can mean, and how diet, malabsorption, vitamin C, and primary hyperoxaluria affect results.

A urine oxalate test measures how much oxalate is excreted in urine, usually over 24 hours. Oxalate is a small organic compound that comes...

Urine pH Test: Acid-Base Balance, Kidney Stones, UTI, and Meaning

Learn how to interpret urine pH, including acidic and alkaline results, kidney stone patterns, UTI clues, renal tubular acidosis, normal ranges, and when follow-up testing matters.

A urine pH test shows how acidic or alkaline urine is. It is a simple measurement, but its meaning depends heavily on context because...

Urine Phosphorus Test: High, Low, Kidney Function, Bone Mineral Balance, and Meaning

Understand what a urine phosphorus test measures, why levels may be high or low, how kidney phosphate wasting is assessed, and how results relate to bone-mineral balance and kidney stones.

A urine phosphorus test measures how much phosphorus, mainly in the form of phosphate, your kidneys remove into urine. The result can help show...

Urine Potassium Test: High, Low, Kidney Potassium Loss, and Balance Meaning

Learn how a urine potassium test identifies kidney potassium loss, what high or low urine potassium can mean, common renal and nonrenal causes, and how results are interpreted with blood tests.

A urine potassium test measures how much potassium your kidneys are excreting. It is most useful when a blood potassium level is abnormal and...

Urine Sodium Test: High, Low, Kidney Function, Hydration, and Volume Status

Understand what a urine sodium test shows, why levels may be high or low, how urine sodium helps assess hyponatremia and volume status, and when FENa is useful in kidney evaluation.

A urine sodium test measures the amount or concentration of sodium your kidneys are excreting. It is commonly used to help evaluate low blood...

Urine Specific Gravity Test: Hydration, Kidney Concentration, and Urine Dilution

Learn what urine specific gravity measures, what high or low values can mean, how hydration and kidney concentrating ability affect results, and when urine osmolality is more informative.

Urine specific gravity estimates how concentrated or dilute a urine sample is compared with pure water. It is a quick way to assess how...

Urine Sulfate Test: Acid Load, Diet, Kidney Stones, and Urine Chemistry

Learn what a 24-hour urine sulfate test shows, how sulfate reflects dietary acid load and protein metabolism, and how it fits with urine ammonium, pH, citrate, and kidney stone risk.

A urine sulfate test measures how much sulfate is excreted in urine, usually over 24 hours. It is most often used as part of...

Urine Urea Nitrogen Test: Protein Intake, Kidney Function, and Nitrogen Balance

Learn what a urine urea nitrogen test shows, why high or low UUN occurs, how it relates to protein intake and nitrogen balance, and how kidney function affects the result.

A urine urea nitrogen test measures the amount of nitrogen excreted in urine as urea, usually over 24 hours. Urea is the main nitrogen-containing...

Urine Uric Acid Test: High Levels, Gout, Kidney Stones, and Uric Acid Handling

Learn how a urine uric acid test is interpreted, including high and low levels, hyperuricosuria, kidney urate handling, gout, urine pH, and uric acid kidney stone risk.

A urine uric acid test measures how much uric acid leaves the body in urine, most often during a 24-hour collection. Uric acid is...

24-Hour Urine Albumin Test: Albuminuria, Kidney Disease, and Collection Meaning

Learn what a 24-hour urine albumin test measures, how to collect it correctly, what A1–A3 levels mean, and how high albumin relates to kidney disease.

A 24-hour urine albumin test measures how much albumin leaves the body in urine over a full day. Albumin is a blood protein that...

24-Hour Urine Protein Test: Proteinuria, Kidney Damage, Collection, and Results

Learn how a 24-hour urine protein test is collected, what proteinuria ranges mean, common causes of high protein, and what follow-up tests may show.

A 24-hour urine protein test measures the total amount of protein lost in urine during one complete day. Healthy kidneys keep most blood proteins...

Albuminuria Test: Normal, Moderately Increased, Severely Increased, and Kidney Risk

Understand albuminuria A1, A2, and A3 ranges, why repeat uACR testing matters, and how albumin levels combine with eGFR to show kidney and heart risk.

An albuminuria test checks whether albumin, a major blood protein, is leaking into urine. Persistent albuminuria is one of the most important markers of...

Alpha-1 Microglobulin Urine Test: Tubular Proteinuria and Kidney Tubule Injury

Learn what urine alpha-1 microglobulin shows, how it detects proximal tubule dysfunction, what high levels may mean, and how results are interpreted.

An alpha-1 microglobulin urine test measures a low-molecular-weight protein that can reveal problems with the kidney’s proximal tubules. Alpha-1 microglobulin is small enough to...

Bence Jones Protein Urine Test: Light Chains, Multiple Myeloma, and Kidney Risk

Learn what a Bence Jones protein urine test detects, how light chains relate to multiple myeloma and kidney injury, and what positive results may mean.

A Bence Jones protein urine test looks for monoclonal immunoglobulin free light chains—either kappa or lambda—that are produced by an abnormal clone of plasma...

Beta-2 Microglobulin Urine Test: Kidney Tubule Damage and Tubular Proteinuria

Learn what urine beta-2 microglobulin measures, why high levels can signal proximal tubule injury, how urine pH affects results, and what follow-up may involve.

A beta-2 microglobulin urine test is a specialized marker of proximal kidney tubule function. Beta-2 microglobulin is a small protein released from the surface...

Diabetic Kidney Disease Urine Test Panel: uACR, Protein, Creatinine, and Albuminuria

Learn how uACR, urine protein, creatinine, urinalysis, and eGFR are used to screen for and monitor diabetic kidney disease and albuminuria.

A diabetic kidney disease urine evaluation centers on the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR), which detects albumin leakage and corrects the result for urine concentration....