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While there is no one-size-fits-all answer to how often you should poop, expert opinion is even narrower when it comes to stool color. And any deviation from it can be cause for concern.
“The most common color is brown, or any shade of brown,” says Dr. Mark Corkins, director of the Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
According to McGill University, the brown color results from the breakdown of bilirubin, a pigment produced when old blood cells are broken down in the liver, and bile, which is usually dark brown or green in color and made in the liver to help digest fats. . Science society room. When bilirubin and bile are secreted in the small intestine during digestion, the poop will eventually turn brown.
This physiological process is also why green is the second most common poop color.
According to Lena Yadrapati, M.D., a professor of medicine in gastroenterology, green stools can mean that food has moved through the digestive tract too quickly, so the green bile in the stool is still in its original form. It is said to be brown and not decomposed. University of California San Diego.
“There are occasional symptoms associated with diarrhea and infections,” Yadrapati added. “However, if the stool is bulky and green in color, it is generally attributed to dietary factors or the intake of iron (supplements).”
Experts say poop color can also be affected by what you eat and drink, so a good rule of thumb for identifying the cause of abnormal poop color is to: It’s about remembering what you ate and drank in the last 24 hours. Eating a lot of tomato juice, beets, red gelatin, or drinking a lot of red-pigmented energy drinks can make your poop red, says Corkins.
Some medications and supplements can affect poop color as a side effect. But if it’s likely that something you’ve ingested isn’t the cause, here’s what you need to know and when you should see a doctor.
Yellow or orange stools, especially if they look greasy, can indicate excess fat, Yadrapati said.
“Some would say it stinks,” she added. The color “may indicate reduced fat absorption, which may be due to celiac disease, pancreatic disease, or certain infections.”
Celiac disease is a chronic disease Immune disorders and digestive disorders Eating gluten, a protein found in bread and cereal, damages the small intestine.
Young children tend to prefer orange and yellow vegetables (such as carrots) over others, which may be why their poop is that color, says Corkins. “It’s not dangerous,” he added. “Keratin is the yellow-orange pigment in it. Beta-carotene is a nutrient, but yellow or orange stools freak everyone out.”
When a patient reports black poop, “From a doctor’s perspective, what we’re always looking for is that tarry black look, because that’s a red flag,” says Dr. Yadrapati. “It could mean that the patient has melena.”
melena is a symptom Internal bleeding, usually in the upper digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, first part of the small intestine).
“When blood is lost from it, it moves along the digestive tract, making it black,” Yadrapati said. “It could be something like an ulcer (or) inflammation that causes a bleeding polyp. ”
Supplements such as iron and diarrhea medicines containing bismuth subsalicylate can also cause dark stools.
If your stool is white or very pale, it could mean that your digestive tract isn’t getting enough bile, says Dr. Yadrapati.
“This could indicate a more serious cause, such as some disease in the liver, bile ducts or pancreas,” she added. “At the same time, certain medications, such as barium (a chalky liquid that patients drink when undergoing certain x-rays), can also change the color of stool to a pale white.”
“Red poop is more of a concern because it could be bleeding from the lower body, the colon or rectum,” Dr. Yadrapati said. Gastroenterologists usually think that blood in poop comes from the lower part of the colon or rectum. Because red poop from blood indicates that the blood has not yet had time to change color.
“It can sometimes appear in the form of hemorrhoids and can be bright red blood on the toilet paper or bright red blood in the toilet bowl, but not necessarily in the stool,” she adds. Ta.
Other possible causes include gastrointestinal ulcers caused by drugs or conditions such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, or arteriovenous malformations (AVM) polyps, small blood vessels that bleed easily, Yadrapati said. . Although colon cancer is a less common cause, it remains a concern.
“If bloody stool causes red poop, it’s usually not the only symptom, to be honest,” Dr. Corkins says. Red poop that has nothing to do with recent food can also be accompanied by stomach pain and fatigue.
“For all these reasons, if you see red color in your stool and it is not related to what you have just eaten or medications you have taken, it is reason to see your doctor,” said Dr. Yadrapati.
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