What does stool color mean (brown, green, black)?

Stools (feces) are the residue of digestion, namely the residue not used by the body of the food ingested, added to the debris of the intestinal cells (which are cells that renew themselves quickly), all mixed with the digestive juices, which gives a certain color to the saddles. Which is normal stool color ? Of the green, black, orange, or white stools are they synonymous with problems? Which ?

What is the normal stool color?

But before talking about color anomalies, it is worth saying why they are colored. Normal color varies from brown to light brown. This color is due to bile breakdown (yellow, green) released by the liver via the bile ducts (gallbladder, bile duct) into the duodenum, which is the first part of the intestine just after the stomach. The role of bile is to better digest fats by emulsifying them. It also serves to neutralize the acidity coming from the stomach. Having reached the intestine, the bile will be degraded by the intestinal flora into faecal stercobilinogen, which is brown-brown in color. Since then, “anything that disrupts this natural breakdown cycle will impact stool color. “explains Dr. Bredin. It should be noted that certain foods can have an influence on the color of the stools without there being any disturbance of this cycle, thus spinach will color the stools in dark green, blood sausage in black, beets in red, carrots in orange.

What do green stools mean?

Green stools correspond to an acceleration of transit, for example during gastroenteritis, or motor diarrhea. The bile does not have time to be degraded by the flora, we find the yellow, orange, greenish, or green bile pigments.

What does brown stool mean?

Brown is, as mentioned above, normal stool color.

What do black stools mean?

Several factors can explain black stools:

• Certain medications can cause stool to turn black, most commonly the iron, which will be oxidized by the digestive juices and give a black color. That shouldn’t worry you.
• In very severe constipation, stools that have been very stagnant in the bowel may be black or very dark brown.
• Digestive bleeding above the colon (classically: stomach or duodenum) leads to digestion of the blood by the flora. “This gives very black, pasty, very smelly stools, which are called melena.“explains Dr. Bredin.

What do orange or yellow stools mean?

Under certain circumstances, stools may be yellow-orange, quite foul smelling, and floating in the bowl, with a greasy appearance. “This is called steatorrheawhich is due to poor digestion of fats“, specifies Dr. Bredin. This can be caused by fat malabsorption as in celiac disease (gluten intolerance) or certain diseases of the exocrine pancreas (lipase deficiency).

What do whitish stools mean?

Whitish stools are encountered when there is a defect in the flow of bile in the intestine. This may be the case if the bile ducts are blocked (bile duct calculus, pancreatic tumour, etc.) or if the liver can no longer produce bile (in the event of hepatitis). In this case, the stools are whitish, the consistency of putty, the urine is very dark (mahogany urine), and we can observe jaundice (jaundice) in the skin or the whites of the eyes.

What causes mucous stools?

Mucous stools appear in case of inflammation of the wall of the intestine, for example in case of colitis. It can be a infectious colitis (viral, or microbial), transient, or inflammatory colitis (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis). “Often associated with it is the presence of red blood“, adds Dr. Bredin.

When and who to consult when the stool changes color?

“If the change in stool color is temporary (a day or two), there is no need to consult“, reassures Dr. Bredin. If, on the other hand, this change lasts beyond a few days, or is repeated regularly, that it is associated with blood, abdominal pain, then it is important to consult your doctorwho will consider further explorations and consultation with a gastroenterologist.

Thanks to Dr. Christian Bredin, gastroenterologist.