Possible Causes of Change in Stool Color

A lot of information about the body and digestive system can be gathered from just observing stools. Color, texture, consistency, and other 'properties' can give clues to what is happening in digestion.

Stool comes in a range of colors. 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 helps digest fats — in your stool. As bile pigments travel through your gastrointestinal tract, they are chemically altered by enzymes — changing the pigments from green to brown.

We think of a healthy stool as being brown. Bile that is secreted in the first part of the small intestine is actually green. As stool is digested and passed through the large intestine it is turned into a darker brown color.
If stool is still green by the time it is excreted, it could mean that it went through the large intestine too fast to be changed in color. This is often called "rapid transit" or "decreased colonic transit time" and diarrhea that is green in color could be the result.

Causes of black colored stools (known as melena)

* acidified blood
* blood from higher in the digestive tract, can indicate bleeding in the upper section of the digestive system like the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, beginning of the small intestine. However, it still is not 100% so. If blood from the lower digestive tract sits long enough and is exposed to intestinal juices and ferments, it may also convert to the black one.
* iron supplements or foods high in iron
* Pepto-Bismol or other medicines containing bismuth
* black licorice
* large amounts of spinach or other greens
* blueberries
* aspirin
* other foods dark in color such as chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos)

Causes of red colored stools (known as hematochezia)

* blood, can indicate bleeding in the lower portion of the digestive system.
* hemorrhoids
* red gelatin, popsicles, or Kool-Aid
* tomato juice or soup
* large amounts beets

Causes of pale or clay colored stools

* lack of bile salt (bile salt gives stool its brownish color)
* antacids containing aluminum hydroxide
* barium from a recent barium enema test
* certain other medications such as large doses of Kaopectate and other anti-diarrheal drugs.
* hepatitis: liver infections like viral hepatitis (A, B, C, etc.), may produce clay colored stools.
* malabsorption problems can cause undigested fat in the stool (steatorrhea) which is characterized by foul smelling, light yellow to gray, greasy or frothy stools.

Causes of green stools

* large amounts of green, leafy vegetables
* green or purple artificial coloring (popsicles, Kool-Aid, gelatin)
* iron supplements
* rapid transit or decreased colonic transit time: Stool starts out green, then turns bright yellow as it goes through the digestive tract. It is bile which is excreted by the liver and bacteria that finally turn it brown. Yellow or green stools can indicate stool is passing through the digestive tract too rapidly not giving it a chance to change colour. Bright yellow stools can also indicate not enough bile / bilary obstruction.
* In breast-fed babies, green stool is a normal occurrence, especially right after delivery.

Causes of orange colored stools

* some medications. Beta-carotene (a form of vitamin A) can cause orange colored stools, so check any sources of vitamins or supplements. Rifampen and antacids containing aluminum hydroxide can also cause orange colored stools as a side effect.
* also intake of foods high in beta-carotene: carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, winter squash, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and mangoes.
* barium from recent barium enema test.
* if the stool is more pale-orange, it might indicate lack of bile salt (which gives stool a brownish color).
* hepatitis: one of the important symptoms of hepatitis is stool color.

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