At Carolina Digestive, we know a lot about poop, and we can help you understand what is going on with yours. A change in poop color may not be anything serious, but it could also be a sign of a dangerous condition that could be life-threatening if left untreated.
Make an appointment today if you have experienced a change in the color of your poop and are concerned something serious might be going on. We can help you find answers and understand what your poop is telling you. Book an appointment today at one of our eight office locations and five endoscopy centers throughout the Charlotte metropolitan area.
We are committed to providing you with the most comprehensive quality of gastroenterology care. Factors of Poop Color You are what you eat, and so is your poop. A few of the potential diseases and conditions that can be signaled by a change in poop color are as follows: Celiac disease Gallbladder disease Tears in the lining of the anus Irritable bowel syndrome Ulcerative colitis Tumors Some types of cancer Crohn's disease Diverticular disease Why Is My Poop Green?
Is Green Poop a Sign of Cancer? Talk to Your Doctor About Green Poop For something like a change in poop color, some people might find it embarrassing to talk to their doctor. Take Control of Your Health Book an appointment today at one of our eight office locations and five endoscopy centers throughout the Charlotte metropolitan area.
Book Appointment Find a Location. Start typing and press enter to search. Anthony Colvin, M. Ronnie Cyzner, M. Stephen Deal, M. Fowler, M. Lanre Jimoh, M. Narang, M. The food you eat may also cause your food, of the natural or artificial variety, may also cause your poop to turn green, Emily Haller, RDN , a registered dietician at Michigan Medicine's Taubman GI Clinic, tells Health. Haller says it's "completely normal and healthy" to have green poop as the result of eating your veggies—so definitely keep doing it.
On the other hand, it's also possible to have green stool after consuming highly-pigmented mint ice cream or frosted cookies. Iron supplements are notoriously difficult on the stomach, with side effects like diarrhea, nausea and upset stomach; this is why those with an inflammatory bowel condition or ulcer will want to check with their doctor before taking—but most people may just see a color change as a side effect.
If you've recently started getting the birth control shot, you might be seeing changes to your stool. Depo-Provera medroxyprogesterone has been known to cause green poop as a side effect — although why that occurs is still up for debate.
Worden notes "anything that changes hormones can also affect the biliary system," including the liver and gallbladder, and if what you consume isn't being broken down normally, it could increase the odds of green stool. Green stool in and of itself is "not necessarily a cause for concern," says Eswaren. Drinking Guinness or drinks that contain heavy dye, such as Kool-Aid, can have a similar effect. In infants, foods may cause color changes, such as:. However, some causes of non-brown stool are more serious, and it is important to deal with these issues immediately.
It is difficult to consistently relate a precise color to each condition. However, here are some possible connections between colors and conditions:.
If any discoloration persists, it is important that a person see a doctor instead of trying to work it out on their own. In addition to any traces of blood in the stool or bleeding from the anus, pay attention to any other symptoms that occur with stool discoloration. These may include nausea, vomiting blood, or a feeling of fullness. Common causes of rectal bleeding include :. It is worth having a quick look at stool before flushing it away. Stool is a very good indicator of whether the digestive system is working properly.
It may provide a clue to illnesses such as those mentioned above. According to the Bristol Stool Chart , there are seven shapes and consistencies of human stool. As a general rule, type 3 or 4 is the ideal stool, as it is easy to pass but not too watery. Type 1 or 2 means that a person is probably constipated.
Type 5, 6, or 7 indicates that a person probably has diarrhea. This chart helps doctors identify problems and correlate the time food takes to pass through the digestive system. These dyes are sometimes used in canned green peas, green beer, breakfast cereal, candy, jarred pickles, salad dressing, beverages, cake and cookie icing, and desserts. You'll also see these dyes in food around St. This video has been medically reviewed by Chris Vincent, MD. Besides the obvious green foods, deep blue or purple foods can sometimes lead to green poop.
Blueberries, grapes, and red wine, for instance, can result in a dark green-blue stool. Purple or red and blue food coloring in drink mixes, grape Kool-Aid and soda, frozen ice pops, cake icing, blue Gatorade, packaged fruit snacks, licorice, and grape-flavored Pedialyte can also cause dark or bright green poop.
These food dye colors are often used during holidays such as Easter, Independence Day, and Halloween. As bile makes its way through the small intestine to the large intestine via the bile ducts, it progressively changes color from green to yellow to brown.
This is due to the action of bacteria in the large intestine acting on bile salts. In some cases, consuming lots of coffee, jalapenos, chili pepper, and alcohol can have a laxative effect, causing foods to pass through the intestines faster than normal called decreased transit time and before stool change color from green to brown. Taking iron supplements can change the color of your poop to dark green or black.
Juicing or going on a juice cleanse will also up your intake of chlorophyll and, in turn, increase the likelihood of green-tinged stools. If you experience green stools during a colon cleanse, it may be due to food rushing through your intestines too quickly to allow bacteria to give your stool its characteristic brown color.
A high-fat diet, like the keto diet , may give your poop a bright green hue. With a high-fat intake, your body produces more bile to digest these fats and excess green-colored bile may find its way into the toilet bowl. Green stool can occur during pregnancy. Some women get it in the earliest weeks of their pregnancy, sometimes even before the BFP "big fat positive" on the pregnancy test. Other women get it because they take prenatal vitamins which contain a higher dose of iron than the typical multivitamin or iron supplements.
Green stool can also happen during the third trimester. Some women get loose green stools during late pregnancy as food moves rapidly through the intestines. An infant's first bowel movements are typically green-black in color. Dark green or green black poop in babies may be caused by iron supplements and iron-enriched foods, such as baby formula.
Green poop in breastfed babies particularly "EBF" or exclusively breastfed babies could also be a sign that the baby is getting too much low-calorie, low-fat foremilk the milk that comes first in a feeding and not enough hindmilk, which is higher in fat. It could mean that the baby isn't feeding long enough on each breast or draining the breast effectively or that there is an oversupply of breast milk.
A lactation consultant may be able to help identify the issue. Kids often eat foods that contain food dyes, including green, purple, blue and yellow, or red and blue coloring. Chewing on green or purple crayons can also change the color of stools. Diarrhea decreases bowel transit time, so any condition that causes diarrhea can result in a green stool, including:.
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