What is Normal Stool Color?

Stool is usually dark or light brown.  In fact, all shades of brown and most shades of green are considered "normal" stool color. It is not uncommon for stool to change in color, typically due to a health concern or dietary causes, such as additives and dyes that are not digested.

Treating the underlying cause or adjusting the diet can help restore stool color.

Brown

The color is normally associated with the natural breakdown of bile in the GI tract. Bile is secreted by the liver and helps to break down fat.

Green

Green-colored poop may have to do with the diet or how quickly food is moving through the gut. Possible causes include:

• Diet: Due to green leafy vegetables or green food coloring. You may even spot bits of vegetable roughage in the stool, like kale.
• Gut motility: Green-colored poop may be a sign that food is moving through the digestive tract too quickly without enough time for bile to turn stool brown. This can also be due to diarrhea, in addition to dumping syndrome.
• Dumping syndrome: It is common after stomach or esophageal surgery that food moves too quickly from the stomach to the small intestine.

Orange

There are a few causes of orange stool including:

• Diet: Beta-carotene is a pigment that gives orange food (such as carrots, pumpkins, or sweet potatoes) its color.
• Liver health: A lack of bile production in the liver may cause orange poop. Liver problems, however, usually lead to white or tan-colored stool.
• Medications: Antibiotics and antacids that have aluminium hydroxide may be the cause of orange-colored stool.

Yellow

Yellow-colored stool is considered normal in infants, especially if they are breastfed. Adults may notice yellow-colored poop in a few different situations, including:

• Celiac disease: It might be a sign of celiac disease if stool is yellow and also oily, greasy and smells worse than usual. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that is triggered by gluten, which damages the small intestine. Following a gluten-free diet helps treat celiac disease and thus can help restore stool color.
• Diet: Foods that are high in fat may cause the stool to appear pale or yellow.
• Giardiasis: This is a parasitic infection caused by Giardia lamblia. People typically contract giardiasis after consuming contaminated water. The parasite can also be found in soil or stool. Other symptoms can include abdominal pain, fever, headache and vomiting.

White or Tan

Tan poop is usually the result of a problem with the biliary system, which includes the gallbladder, liver and pancreas. 

The liver makes bile, which is a yellowish-brown liquid that is stored in the gallbladder. A compound in bile called bilirubin helps give stool its brown color. A lack of bile and, therefore, a lack of bilirubin, can result in pale-colored stool. 

Several health conditions can reduce the amount of bile, including:

• Alcoholic hepatitis: This is inflammation of the liver, which results from excess alcohol intake.
• Biliary cirrhosis: This is inflammation of the bile ducts in the liver, which blocks the flow of bile.
• Biliary stricture: Narrowing of the bile duct usually occurs as a result of gallbladder surgery.
• Cysts: A cyst is a benign (non-cancerous) fluid-filled growth that develops on the bile ducts and can block the flow of bile.
• Gallstones: These hardened pieces of bilirubin or cholesterol form in the gallbladder and can block the flow of bile.
• Medications: Certain medications can cause hepatitis and affect the color of the stool. These medications may include anabolic steroids, antibiotics, herbal supplements and pain relievers, such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) and statins.
• Sclerosing cholangitis: This is inflammation of or damage to the bile ducts. Autoimmune disorders or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may cause sclerosing cholangitis in some people.
• Structural defect: Bile turns stool brown, so a tan color might mean the bile did not get into the intestine. There could be a structural defect, such as an obstruction in the bile duct or a stone in the liver.
• Tumors: Benign or malignant (cancerous) tumors can impair the flow of bile, resulting in tan poop.
• Viral hepatitis: The viruses hepatitis A, B and C can cause inflammation of the liver.

Black

Black-colored poop in babies may just be a sign of eating too many foods like blueberries. It is a sign that something serious could be going on in adults. Seek medical attention right away if you notice black, tar-like poop.

Possible causes include:

• Bleeding: Black-colored stool can indicate bleeding in the upper GI tract, including the stomach or the first part of the small intestine called the duodenum. Blood in the upper GI tract can also give stool a tar-like consistency, which could be due to ulcers, sores or tumors.
• Diet: Black licorice, blueberries, or blood sausage may turn poop black, but the consistency usually remains the same.
• Medications: Black color alone is not always cause for concern. Activated charcoal, iron supplements and Pepto-Bismol may cause black stool.

Red

Some foods, like beets and red gelatin, might cause reddish poop. But most important, a bright red color is often a sign of bleeding in the lower GI tract.

Health conditions that may cause bleeding include:

• Anal fissure: A cut or tear in the tissue lining the anus
• Cancer: Includes anal, colon or rectal cancer
• Diverticular disease: Occurs when diverticula (bulging sacs in the colon) become inflamed or infected
• Hemorrhoids: Form when veins in the anus or lower part of the rectum become swollen
• IBD: Includes Crohn's disease (inflammation of the intestines) and ulcerative colitis (inflammation of the colon)
• Infection: Usually due to bacterial gastroenteritis, an infection of the stomach and intestines
• Proctitis: Inflammation of the anus and rectum
• Rectal prolapse: Happens if the rectum protrudes from the anus, typically due to constipation, diarrhea or chronic coughing.

Overall, a change in poop color is not always an emergency. Reach out to a healthcare provider if the stool color deviates from brown for longer than a few days. Seek medical attention right away if you have black, tar-like poop or blood in the stool.

 

COLOR	POSSIBLE CAUSES
Bright red	- Eating beets and foods with red coloring - Having bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract, usually due to an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or hemorrhoids
Black	- Eating black licorice, blueberries, or blood sausage - Having bleeding in the upper GI tract (e.g., stomach) - Taking iron supplements, activated charcoal, or drugs that contain bismuth subsalicylate (e.g., Pepto-Bismol)
Green	- Eating green-colored foods (e.g., green leafy vegetables or green juice) - Having diarrhea, which causes food to move quickly through the large intestine
Light- or pale-colored	- Having a lack of bile (a fluid made by the liver) in the stool
Yellow	- Eating gluten (a protein found in grains like barley, rye, and wheat) - Having malabsorption, usually due to celiac disease, which causes too much fat in the stool

                       Source: https://www.health.com/condition/digestive-health/poop-color-meaning