Typically, healthy poop colour should range from light to dark brown. The brownish colour results from broken-down red blood cells and stomach bile mixing, indicating that your digestive system is functioning correctly.
Stool is usually brown because of a balance of bilirubin and bile. An imbalance can cause stool to become yellow. This could be due to dietary factors, a liver problem, a gallbladder disorder, or another health condition.
Most of the time, poop that's a different color from what you're used to isn't something to worry about. It's rare for it to be a sign of a serious condition in your digestive system. But if it's white, bright red, or black, and you don't think it's from something you ate, call your doctor.
Yellow/Pale Brown/Grey: Bright yellow diarrhea can signify a condition known as Giardiasis (see sidebar). Stool that is yellow or pale can also result from reduced production of bile salts, since a normal, brown-coloured stool acquires its hue from breaking down bile.
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.
“This happens in conditions like celiac disease and pancreas problems. Yellow stool may also indicate infection, from parasites to bacteria to viruses such as COVID-19. If your stool is a pale yellow color, this may suggest liver disease.”
Abnormal poop
not pooping often enough — less than three times a week. excessive straining when pooping. poop that is red, black, green, yellow, or white. greasy, fatty stools.
Yellow discharge may or may not indicate an infection. If the discharge is a pale yellow, odorless, and not accompanied by other symptoms, it may not be a cause for concern. In other instances, yellow discharge can be a sign of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or a bacterial infection.
Yellow Poop
Fat absorption can be disrupted by parasites, illnesses or congenital diseases causing inflammation in the pancreas. Yellow poop is usually a sign of a medical problem that needs attention. If your yellow stool is present for more than two days, contact your doctor.
Yellow stools sometimes result from changes to the diet. Eliminating yellow foods, such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and turmeric, from the diet may make the yellow color go away. A person should avoid high fat foods, such as fast food and processed meats, as these speed up digestion and can produce yellow stool.
Yellow stool, sometimes called pale stool, has several different causes. The yellow color can come from a problem with your liver not being able to produce enough bile, or it could be from a bacterial infection.
Bright red blood in your stool usually means the bleeding is lower in your colon, rectum or anus. Dark red or maroon blood can mean that you have bleeding higher up in your colon or your small intestine. Melena (black stool) often points to bleeding in your stomach, such as a bleeding stomach ulcer.
Many people report experiencing more yellow stools as a symptom of anxiety. Anxiety does not specifically affect the color of stool, but it can affect how food moves through the digestive tract. There are several ways that anxiety affects digestion, increasing the risk of yellow feces.
Common causes include: Chronic diarrhea Constipation Hemorrhoids Crohn's disease The skin of the anus can stick to the stool and make it difficult to clean the anorectal area after a bowel movement.
Bottom line: To sum up, peanut butter-colored poop is normal. However, if you feel discomfort while passing the stool, this is the time to consult your doctor.
Healthy Poop Should Sink in the Toilet
Floating stools are often an indication of high fat content, which can be a sign of malabsorption, a condition in which you can't absorb enough fat and other nutrients from the food you're ingesting, reports Mount Sinai.
Narrow or pellet-like stools: if you have advanced or severe diverticulitis, your large intestine may narrow, causing stool to become thin, narrow, or pellet-shaped.
If you stool is red or black, it might not be from blood. Certain foods may cause your stools to look red. These include cranberries, tomatoes, beets, or food that is dyed red. Other foods may cause your stools to look black.
Pale stools could be a sign of liver damage, as pale, clay, beige or sand coloured stool may be a sign that your body, most notably your liver is not producing enough bile, or it may not be draining bile properly. Bile makes up part of the colouring of your stool.
Your liver is the reason that healthy poop looks brown. The brown color comes from bile salts made by your liver. If your liver doesn't make bile normally or if the flow from the liver is blocked, your poop will look pale like the color of clay. Pale poop often happens along with yellow skin (jaundice).