What the colour of your stool can tell you about your health

A quick look at your stool before you flush can offer important clues about your gastrointestinal health, ranging from minor issues to serious conditions like colon cancer.

What Stool Colours Mean

Dr Joseph Salhab, a Florida-based gastroenterologist and health content creator, shared details about stool colours in an Instagram video posted on September 23. Brown is the normal colour for stool, and a little green can also be completely normal. Green stool can happen from leafy vegetables, food colouring, iron, or when food moves through the intestines quickly due to diarrhoea. Black or very dark stool can be caused by iron supplements or Pepto-Bismol, but black, tarry stool can point to bleeding higher up in the digestive tract, such as from an ulcer.

Specific Warnings

Yellow, greasy, and foul-smelling stool can suggest that the body is not absorbing fat properly, which can happen with conditions involving the pancreas or small intestine, including coeliac disease. White, pale, or clay-coloured stool may mean there is not enough bile reaching the intestine due to problems with the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, or pancreas. While foods like beetroot can give stool a reddish tint, red stool can also indicate bleeding from haemorrhoids, anal fissures, inflammation, polyps, or colon cancer. Dr Salhab advises that occasional odd colours can result from food or medication, but persistent changes, black tarry stool, or unexplained red blood require medical attention.