What stools say about our health and when to worry

The color of the feces, but also their shape and consistency they can tell a lot about our health: the normal color of stool it’s brown, but their gradation can vary depending on the diet and the quantity of bile contained. Other colors, such as light, black, red, yellow or green stools, or stools that are too hard or dry, thinner than normal and watery, or that otherwise deviate from their normal soft and cylindrical appearance (sausage-shaped), can be a sign of underlying medical conditions, such as infections or diseases, but also reflect the effect of consuming certain foods or taking medications or supplements.

In most cases, when there are small changes in the appearance of the stool or in the frequency of bowel habits there is no need to worry, but if you notice more important changes or that persist over time it is better to be cautious and contact your doctor. The colour, shape, consistency of the stool but also the frequency with which we eliminate these wastes are all indicators of our general state of health, so unusual or unresolved variations can reveal if there is something wrong, suggesting to correct incorrect habits or helping us to identify promptly potential health problems.

What stools should look like to be healthy

Normal stools have a soft, cylindrical (sausage-shaped) appearance and are brown in color, although all shades of brown and even green are considered normal. In general, the shape and consistency of feces depend on intestinal transit, that is, the passage of food, already partially digested at the oral and gastric level, within the intestine: the longer this time, the the more the feces can become dehydratedbecome hard and take on the appearance of hard and separate balls, difficult to evacuate.

Their color, on the other hand, is generally influenced by what we eat and, as mentioned, by the amount of bilea yellowish-green fluid produced by the liver and stored and concentrated in the gallbladder, which plays a crucial role in the digestion of fats.

When to worry about your feces

The appearance of stool is an indicator of our general state of health, so knowing the meaning of the different colors and the different shapes and consistencies can provide a lot of information about our physical state, helping us to promptly identify potentially serious conditions. As mentioned, not all variations, especially when not persistent, are a sign of a pathology, but they can be a sign of incorrect eating habits and, more generally, a signal that it is necessary change some daily behaviors to live healthier.

A poor diet of foods that favor gastrointestinal motility (such as high-fiber foods) can significantly affect your stool. Other more common causes of changes in bowel habits are lack of physical activity, but also a sudden increase in exercise intensity, not drinking enough water and stress: however, everything returns to normal once you change habits or adapt to some routines (such as a new exercise regime).

What is the meaning of stool color

The normal color of stool is usually brown, but the shade can vary depending on diet and of the amount of bile contained. This means that any shade of brown (and even green) is considered normal. Unusual and persistent color changes (such as deep red, black, or very pale stools), or small amounts of bright red in the stool, are all signs that should worry us.

• Brown stool: Any shade of brown, from dark brown to light brown, indicates proper functioning of the gastrointestinal system. The different shades of brown, as mentioned, are mainly due to the bile contained: when this yellowish-green fluid is released into the intestine, its pigments are chemically altered by intestinal enzymes, which change their color from green-yellow to brown, giving the feces their characteristic.
• Green or yellow stools: a green or yellow stool color can mean too rapid intestinal transit and, consequently, the presence of incompletely transformed bile. For example, what remains of partially digested food in the mouth and stomach may move too quickly into the large intestine, causing abdominal pain and diarrhea. On the other hand, other possible causes of green stools can be traced back to nutrition, such as the consumption of green leafy vegetables or green food dyes, or the intake of iron supplements.
• Light, gray, or clay-colored stool: A light, gray to clay-colored stool color indicates a lack of bile in the stool. It may suggest the presence of a biliary tract obstruction, which can be caused by several conditions, including gallstones, liver disease or pancreatic cancer, or other liver or gallbladder problems. Light-colored stools may also be due to taking certain medications, such as high doses of bismuth subsalicylate and other medications to treat diarrhea.
• Dark or black stools: Dark or black stools may be a sign of bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract (for example, in the stomach or small intestine). In some cases, however, dark stools can be a consequence of taking certain drugs or supplements, such as preparations based on activated charcoal or iron supplements, or excessive consumption of liquorice and other foods that can give a dark color to the I did.
• Red stools: Stools that are bright red or contain small amounts of bright red are a sign of bleeding from the lower intestinal tract (fatty intestine or rectum), which can be due to several causes, including intestinal tumors, although it is often a consequence of hemorrhoids. However, the red color can also be linked to the consumption of food dyes, or beets, cranberries or other foods that can give reddish shades to the stool.
• Yellow stools: if the stools are yellow, greasy and smelly, they are a sign of fat in the stool and can, for example, indicate the presence of a disorder linked to intestinal absorption (malabsorption), such as celiac disease. They can also be a consequence of protein gluten, such as that contained in bread and cereals.

Shape and consistency of stool

The shape and consistency of the feces, as well as the color, are also an important indicator of what is happening in our gastrointestinal system. In fact, shape and consistency reflect the quality of intestinal transit and depend, to a large extent, on the length of time the feces remain in the colon. Due to this peculiarity, they provide a lot of useful information on our state of health, so much so that they have been classified in the so-called Bristol Stool Scale (Bristol stool scale), a medical-diagnostic tool used both in clinical and experimental fields, which includes seven distinct categories, i.e seven types of stool:

• Stool in hard, separated lumps, like nuts – type 1: indicates a serious degree of constipation, due to the excessive permanence of the stool in the intestine and the difficulty of evacuation. They can usually indicate insufficient consumption of fiber (fruit and vegetables) and liquids.
• Stool in sausage-shaped lumps – type 2: indicates a less serious degree of constipation, the most common causes of which are generally those of type 1 stool.
• Sausage-shaped stool, but with cracks on the surface – type 3: these are almost normal stools which however indicate insufficient fluid consumption.
• Sausage or snake-shaped stools, smooth and soft – type 4: these are the ideal stools, which are expelled easily and leave a sensation of complete emptying of the intestine.
• Stools in fragments, soft and separated, with well-defined edges – type 5: stools considered almost normal, as long as they are easy to pass, which indicate a poor fiber diet.
• Flaky or shapeless stools, with irregular edges, and soft stools – type 6: these are stools compatible with a picture tending towards diarrhea and can be the consequence of meals that are too large, rich in fats and intestinal transit that is too rapid, with insufficient absorption of liquids from the intestine.
• Watery stools, without solid parts, or completely liquid – type 7: they are a sign of diarrhea, in many cases a sign of intestinal infections, food intolerances or diseases affecting the gastrointestinal system.

“Particular attention must be paid if the stool appears as described at the extremes of the scale (type 1 and type 2, and type 6 and 7) – the specialists highlight -. Hard, separate or sausage-shaped lumps suggest the presence of constipation, while soft, pasty or liquid flaky stools indicate ongoing inflammation.”.