Common Causes
Why is my poop very light brown? Bile salts are released into your stools by your liver, giving the stools a brown color. If your liver is not producing enough bile, or if the flow of the bile is blocked and not draining from your liver, your stools may become pale or clay-colored. Having pale stools once in a while may not be a cause for concern.
Related Conditions
- hemorrhoids,
- bleeding in the stomach,
- bleeding in the lower parts of the intestines or colon,
- certain vegetables with deep colors, green foods,
- food dyes (especially red, green, purple),
- iron pills,
- bismuth-containing medications (such as Pepto-Bismol ),
- biliary obstruction,
- tumor,
- cystic fibrosis,
What does it mean if your POOP is light brown?
Why Is Your Poop Black and Tarry?
- Iron Supplements. Black poop can be a side effect of iron pills you take for anemia -- a condition that happens when you don't have enough red blood cells to ...
- Dark-Colored Foods. Sometimes dark-colored foods turn your poop black. ...
- Medicines With Bismuth. ...
- Bleeding Ulcer. ...
- Esophageal and Gastric Cancers. ...
- Mallory-Weiss Tear. ...
- Esophageal Varices. ...
Why is my poop dark brown?
Other questions answered from The Doctor’s Mailbag: Should poop float or should it sink? How much gas should you pass? Is kombucha good for digestion? What foods may help chronic diarrhea? And many more! Plus, Chuck examines a new study showing that it ...
What causes extremely dark poop?
What is the healthy color of poop?
Is light brown stool normal?
All shades of brown and even green are considered normal. Only rarely does stool color indicate a potentially serious intestinal condition. Stool color is generally influenced by what you eat as well as by the amount of bile — a yellow-green fluid that digests fats — in your stool.
Why is my poop brown and light brown?
Poop's brown color is mostly due to bile and bilirubin, which are both a yellowish color. When these substances mix with your digested food, intestinal secretions, bacteria, and old red blood cells in your digestive tract, they turn your waste brown.
What color is your stool if you have liver problems?
Considerations. The liver releases bile salts into the stool, giving it a normal brown color. You may have clay-colored stools if you have a liver infection that reduces bile production, or if the flow of bile out of the liver is blocked. Yellow skin (jaundice) often occurs with clay-colored stools.
Is peanut butter colored poop normal?
Lifestyle changes to improve stools include eating fiber, drinking water, or exercising. Stools should be brown, have a peanut-butter texture, and look like a sausage.
Why is my poop brown?
Poop’s brown color is mostly due to bile and bilirubin, which are both a yellowish color. When these substances mix with your digested food, intestinal secretions, bacteria, and old red blood cells in your digestive tract, they turn your waste brown.
Why is my poop pale?
gallstones. cysts or tumors in the biliary system. Medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), birth control pills, some antibiotics, and anabolic steroids may also cause your poop to be a pale color.
What happens if you have a color in your poop?
Other symptoms, along with unusual colored poop, that should prompt a visit to the doctor include: diarrhea. constipation.
What causes green poop?
Gastrointestinal disorders. Conditions such as Crohn’s disease and celiac disease can cause green poop, depending on what you’ve been eating.
What happens when you mix bile and food?
When you mix your digested food with yellowish-green bile and yellow-colored bilirubin, the result is brown.
Why is my stool brown?
It is usually from a blockage in the bile ducts, either from a stone or a tumor. Bile helps digest fats and is responsible for the brown color of stool. It is produced in your liver, stored in your gallbladder, and released into your intestines. If bile is prevented from getting into your intestines, this can cause persistent pale ...
What does it mean when your stools are pale?
The pale/grey stools or progressively worsening jaundice may be the first sign that something is wrong. You may also get an infection in the blocked bile, called cholangitis. That can cause fever and abdominal pain, and in severe cases, confusion and low blood pressure.
Why does stool look silver?
There are a few recorded cases of people having silver-appearing stool—these people all had tumors blocking the bile duct that also bled into the intestine. The combination of digested blood (black tar color) and lack of bile (pale grey color) gives a distinct silver color to the stool. —Dr. Adam Pont.
What to do if you have clay colored stool?
Surgery: If your clay-colored stools are caused by obstructing gallstones, after an ERCP, your doctor might recommend surgery to remove the gallbladder entirely (cholecystectomy) to help prevent recurrences.
What does it mean when you have a yellowish rash?
Painless jaundice (yellowing of skin and whites of eyes) Pale or clay/grey colored stools. Sudden fever and abdominal pain (from infection of the obstructed bile) Once bile is produced in the liver, it travels by a tube (duct) to your gallbladder, where it is stored until ready to be released into your intestines.
What causes a stone to be stuck in the lower part of the bile duct?
If the stone is stuck in the lower part of the bile duct, it may block digestive fluid from exiting the pancreas, which can cause pancreatitis. If you notice pale/grey colored stools along with abdominal pain or jaundice, you should go to the ER.
Where do gallstones form?
Gallstones are very small stones that can form from the components of bile, a digestive liquid. They are often found in the gallbladder. Gallstones can sometimes block bile from exiting the gallbladder or become stuck in a bile duct, causing an obstruction (choledocholithiasis).
Why does stool change color?
Causes. In children. During pregnancy. When to see a doctor. Summary. Many things can change the color of stool, including vitamins, infections, and certain foods. Some underlying medical problems, such as gallbladder and liver disease, can also change stool color.
Why is my stool white?
When the stool is white or very light brown, this can signal a more serious problem, such as cholestasis, a type of liver disease. In newborns, cholestasis or any other problem with the liver, gallbladder, or pancreas may be a medical emergency, so a caregiver should call their pediatrician right away.
Why is my stool pale after taking pain pills?
A person who notices a pale stool after taking a new medication or after taking OTC pain relievers for a long time or in excess of the correct dose may have medication-related liver damage. It is best to stop taking the drug, if it is not a prescription medication, and see a doctor as soon as possible. 4.
How to tell if you have liver disease?
In addition to pale stool, other symptoms of liver disease include: 1 nausea and vomiting 2 fatigue 3 very dark urine 4 fatty stool 5 itching 6 swelling in the ankles or legs
Why does my stool look pale?
Diseases of the pancreas can make it hard for this organ to secrete pancreatic juices into the digestive system. This can lead to the food moving too quickly through the gut, causing a pale and fatty-looking stool.
What does it mean when your poop is white?
Pale stool, especially if it is white or clay colored, can indicate a serious health problem. When adults have a pale stool with no other symptoms, it is usually safe to wait and see if the stool returns to normal. When children and babies have very pale or white poop, a doctor should see them as soon as possible.
Can iron make your stool dark brown?
Some foods may lighten the color of stool, especially fatty foods, or those containing food coloring. Vitamins that include iron can turn the color of stool dark brown. It is fine for bowel movements to be lighter than usual occasionally.
What causes brown stools?
Normally, the liver produces bile which is released into the stool, giving the stool its characteristic brown color. If the liver does not produce enough bile, if the bile flow is blocked in the biliary system than normally the bile will not be able to drain into the intestines, leading to a light colored stool. (3, 4)
Why does my stool turn light colored?
Due to an inflammation of the liver with hepatitis viruses A, B, and C can lead to light colored stool. Hepatitis C is the type of viral hepatitis which often leads to liver diseases, affecting the normal function of the liver, including bile production.
What does it mean when your stool is white?
A light colored stool often referred to as clay – colored or white stool is not a normal stool and it indicates a problem with the liver, pancreas, gallbladder or the biliary system. If you notice a light colored stool, seek immediate medical help.
Why does my stool turn green?
Green stool. Indicates that the food passes through the large intestine too quickly and the bile doesn’t have the time to completely break down as it normally should. Iron supplements, green leafy vegetables, as well as, green food coloring can lead to a green stool too.
Why is my stool black?
Black stool. Indicates a bleeding in the upper part of the gastrointestinal system, usually from the stomach. Seek immediate medical help as it could signify serious medical conditions, which when left untreated can lead to serious complications and even death. Iron supplements can lead to a black stool as well.
Why is my stool red?
Bright red stool. Indicates a bleeding in the lower part of the gastrointestinal system, often caused by hemorrhoids or a bleeding in the rectum or large intestines. Certain foods can lead to a bright red stool as well, such as cranberries, beets, tomato juice, red food coloring, etc. If you have consumed the above – mentioned food types during ...
What color should a stool be?
As mentioned, stool can come in a range of colors. Ideally, a stool should be a light brown in color. However, this is not always possible and sometimes stool due to various reasons can change its color. (2)
Why does stool color change?
Only rarely does stool color indicate a potentially serious intestinal condition. Stool color is generally influenced by what you eat as well as by the amount of bile — a yellow-green fluid that digests fats — in your stool. As bile pigments travel through your gastrointestinal tract, they are chemically altered by enzymes, ...
Why is my stool red?
If your stool is bright red or black — which may indicate the presence of blood — seek prompt medical attention. Food may be moving through the large intestine too quickly, such as due to diarrhea. As a result, bile doesn't have time to break down completely.
What does it mean when you have no bile in your stool?
A lack of bile in stool. This may indicate a bile duct obstruction. Certain medications, such as large doses of bismuth subsalicylate (Kaopectate, Pepto-Bismol) and other anti-diarrheal drugs. Excess fat in the stool, such as due to a malabsorption disorder, for example, celiac disease.
Does bile break down?
As a result, bile doesn't have time to break down completely. Green leafy vegetables, green food coloring, such as in flavored drink mixes or ice pops, iron supplements. A lack of bile in stool. This may indicate a bile duct obstruction.
Why is my stool white?
Some of the causes are: a milk-only diet. barium sulfate from barium enema. antacids. blocked bile ducts or liver disease. You should contact your doctor any time your child’s stool changes color, especially if they haven’t had any brightly colored foods or if the stools are pale, white, or clay-colored.
Why do kids have bright colored stools?
Brightly colored stools in children are usually caused by colorful foods like breakfast cereal. However, pale, white, or clay-colored stools in children can be caused by something more serious. Some of the causes are:
Why do I have pale stools?
If your liver is not producing enough bile, or if the flow of the bile is blocked and not draining from your liver, your stools may become pale or clay-colored. Having pale stools once in a while may not be a cause for concern. If it occurs frequently, you may have a serious illness. You should see your doctor whenever you have pale ...
What is the cause of biliary cirrhosis?
Biliary cirrhosis. Biliary cirrhosis is an inflammation or irritation of the bile ducts in the liver. The inflammation or irritation blocks the flow of bile to the intestines. The exact cause of biliary cirrhosis is unknown. There is no cure for biliary cirrhosis, and the disease can be fatal.
What is the best medicine for fatty stool?
Commonly prescribed medications include cholestyramine (Questran) to treat itching and ursodiol (Urso Forte), which aids in removing bile from the bloodstream. Your doctor may also suggest taking vitamins A, K, E, and D, to replace the nutrients that are lost in the fatty stools.
Why is my stool light colored?
Sometimes, the color can be from large doses of medications. The main causes of light-colored stool include: Gallstones, or hardened deposits of bile that form in the gallbladder and block your common bile duct. Pancreatic cancer. Liver disease.
Why is my stool dark?
The main causes of dark stool are: Upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding, which can be from an infection, medication, trauma (like a car accident), or lesions of the blood vessels. Stomach/peptic ulcers that cause bleeding in the esophagus.
Why is my bile green?
Bile travels through the GI tract and changes to brown when it interacts with certain enzymes. If your stool is green, it usually means that you have changed your diet slightly or your food is traveling through the large intestines faster than normal so it doesn’t have enough time to break down and change color.
Why is my stool white?
If your stool is pale in color or white, it usually means that bile isn’t moving through your GI tract. This would mean that there’s an obstruction of the bile duct that isn’t letting the bile flow into the intestine. Sometimes, the color can be from large doses of medications.
What to do if your stool color changes?
If your stool color has changed because of a change in diet and there are no other symptoms, no treatment is needed. If you are bleeding, you may need to go to the hospital, have laboratory and imaging tests, and possibly even a procedure, such as an endoscopy or colonoscopy.
Why is my poop yellow?
If your stool is yellow, or more likely, contains yellow droplets (seen floating on the toilet bowl), it is a sign of fat in the stool. It can also have a bad odor and a greasy texture. You may see noticeable amounts of fat in your stool when it’s not absorbed properly by the body. Yellow stool can be a sign you’re having malabsorption issues—along with other signs like difficulty maintaining or gaining weight.
What does it mean when your poop is discolored?
But if your stool is discolored for a few days, or you have other symptoms, it could be a sign of something more serious. Black, tarry stool or bright red stool could be a sign of blood in the stool. Pale, clay-colored stool can be a sign of a blockage of your bile duct.