Why Does My Poop Smell So Bad
The first thing to remember is that what goes in also comes out, so if you had a spicy meal, chances are youll smell it strongly when it exits. Meat produces more smell than vegetables and intestinal bacteria produce several sulphur-containing compounds that are the primary smelly culprits along with fatty acids and skatole, a product resulting from the naturally-occurring process of amino acids being broken down in the intestine. The human nose can detect hydrogen sulphide in concentrations as low as one-half part per billion, making it easy for us to smell stool! Malabsorption, particularly of fats , can cause a stronger odour, so talk to your doctor if this persists.
Fast Facts On Poop Color
- Certain foods and drinks can affect poop color.
- Poop can turn green as a result of diarrhea.
- A person should inform their doctor of long-term changes in poop color.
What makes poop green? Green stool is usually the result of eating a large quantity of leafy, green vegetables. Specifically, the chlorophyll in the plants produces the green color. Alternatively, children might have green stool after eating artificially colored frosting at a birthday party.
Certain foods in a persons diet are by far the most common causes of green poop. However, people who do not eat a lot of greens or food coloring should be wary, as green poop can have a more serious cause.
Possible causes include:
People who think their green stool is not the result of a diet rich in vegetables or green food coloring should discuss it with a doctor.
What Do Different Colors Of Diarrhea Mean
There are a few different colors of diarrhea that can mean different things. If your diarrhea is watery and clear, it could be a sign of a viral infection, such as the stomach flu. If your diarrhea is yellow or green, it could be a sign of a bacterial infection. If your diarrhea is dark brown or black, it could be a sign of bleeding in your digestive tract. If your diarrhea is red, it could be a sign of blood in your stool. If you have any of these symptoms, its important to see a doctor to get a diagnosis.
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Infection Especially Involving Diarrhea
Bacteria invading the GI tract could cause a green tinge to your stool. “Bacterial infections can also change the normal flora in the stool, changing its color,” says Eswaran. “Bacterial infectionslike salmonella and noroviruswill also make the stool looser and more frequent.”
Salmonella “occurs on raw poultry, eggs, beef, and sometimes on unwashed fruit and vegetables,” per the National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus resource. Norovirus can spread from person to person, or through contaminated water, food, or surfaces, per MedlinePlus.
Diarrhea increases the odds of watery green stool, too, per the resource UpToDate. Food moving through the body too quickly may not leave enough time for bile to break it down, which could cause your stool to become greenish instead of brown.
Causes For Green Diarrhea In Infants & Children
- Infants Infants usually have a sensitive digestive system and are mostly fed on breast milk. Due to the absence of solid substances, the milk fed to them passes rapidly through the digestive tract resulting in the stool being green in color.
- Toddlers As the child grows up, there are various dietary supplements that are prescribed to aid in the fulfillment of nutritional requirements. This is done to ensure proper growth and development of their body and mind. These supplements may have a lot of iron content that can sometimes lead to green diarrhea.
- Children Green stools in older children could be due to consumption of candies containing deeply colored coloring agents. It could even be a result of eating or sucking inedible items such as crayons or markers.
Should I be worried if the child passes green Poop?
No, you shouldnt be worried and in case the child has not been eating normally, its advised to encourage them start eating as they had been doing. It will help in using the bile and settle diarrhea. In case the toddler is vomiting, it is recommended to give clear fluids like DIoralyte, Gastrolyte, Rehydralyte or Pedialyte.
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Can Green Poop Be Cancerous
Green stools are rarely a sign of cancer.
Changes in stool color caused by cancerous tumors are often black, tarry, or bright red in color.
However, if youre experiencing distressing symptoms along with your green stool, like fever, diarrhea, or vomiting, reach out to your healthcare provider as soon as possible.
Can Liver Issues Cause Green Poop
Bile is a a greenish-yellow liquid made in your liver. If you have green poop or green diarrhea, then there may be excess bile in your stool. Some types of liver disease that cause increased bile production can result in yellowish or green, watery diarrhea. This effect is seen in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
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You’re Eating Green Things
This is the most common cause of green poop. “Green stool is usually the result of a high quantity of leafy, green vegetables in one’s diet, says Niket Sonpal, MD, a New York City-based internist and gastroenterologist. Aside from veggies, parents may notice their kid’s poop turned green from the food coloring used in frostingwhat I call Birthday Cake Syndrome.”
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Green Stool In Babies
In the first 2 or 3 days following birth, it is normal for babies to have soft, sticky, mucus stool that is black or green. This stool is called meconium, and it consists of the substances that were released by the intestine during pregnancy.
After 3 to 5 days of life, babies will go through a transition phase in their stool due to breastmilk, and will obtain a more brown color by their sixth day of life. Babies who are fed with formula may continue to have green stools for longer, likely due to the iron found in formulas.
In older babies, green stool may be a sign of an infection, a food intolerance, the presence of bile, medication or from eating green fruits or vegetables.
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Babies Toddlers And Older Kids
An infant’s first poops tend to be green to black in color. This is known as “meconium.” It usually stops after they are three days old.
Dark green poop in babies may be caused by iron supplements and iron-enriched foods, like baby formula. If your babys poop looks black or dark, its a good idea to check with your doctor or pediatrician.
If a breastfed baby has green poop, it could be something in the mothers diet, like green veggies or food made with green or purple food coloring. In some cases, it could be that the mother or baby is sensitive or allergic to something in their diet.
Green poop in breastfed babies can be a sign that the baby is getting too much low-calorie, low-fat foremilk and not enough hindmilk, which is higher in fat.
It could also mean that the baby isn’t feeding long enough on each breast. The baby may not be draining the breast enough. Or, there could be an oversupply of breast milk. A lactation consultant may be able to help find the issue.
Kids often eat foods that have food dyes, including green, purple, blue and yellow, or red and blue coloring. They are found in grape Pedialyte and some kids breakfast cereals, drinks, candies, birthday cakes, and cookies.
Parasites Viruses And Bacteria
Parasitic, viral, and bacterial invaders can also be causing your green stool. Yes, your body already contains billions of bacteria that serve a vital purpose. Outsiders, however, can wreak all sorts of havoc on your intestinal output.
Bacteria like Salmonella , the water parasite giardia, and norovirus can cause your guts to flush quicker than normal, which can lead to green-tinged stools.
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Q: What Is The Difference Between Yellow Diarrhea And Yellow Stool
A: Yellow diarrhea is different from yellow stools. Yellow diarrhea doesnt only mean your stool is yellow, but also it means that you have frequent loose or watery stools .
Diarrhea means your poop is loose or watery Plus you have three or more loose stool motions per day.
Generally speaking, Any severe diarrhea can lead to yellowish stool because of diarrhea itself. As your poop passes quickly through your colon before it acquires its normal brown color.
You Eat Foods That Are Green Or Contain Food Dyes
Eating green foods can turn your poop green, according to Harry Thomas, MD, a gastroenterologist in Austin, Texas. The most obvious culprit here are foods that are naturally green, notes colorectal surgeon, Lynn OConnor, MD, director of Colon & Rectal Surgery of New York and section chief of colon and rectal surgery at Mercy Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital in New York.
These include green vegetables , green herbs , pistachio nuts, hemp seeds, matcha tea, and avocado.
The more green food you eat, the more likely it is your stool will appear green.
However, foods that contain green or blue food coloring can also turn your poop green. These can include flavored drink mixes, ice pops, and birthday-cake icing, which is why green poop isnt uncommon in babies and kids, according to New York City pediatrician, Alison Mitzner, MD.
However, this can also happen with purple or black dye too. In the most famous example of surprisingly green poop, an all-black Halloween burger introduced by Burger King in 2015 made the news when a side effect of the black dye was emerald-green stool.
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Symptoms Associated With Green Stool
Green stool due to food color and other dietary factors may not cause any severe symptoms. However, children with severe diarrheal diseases and other gastrointestinal disorders may have other symptoms. The following symptoms might occur with green poop depending on the underlying cause .
Not all children with green stool develop diarrhea or other symptoms. You may seek medical care to know the exact cause.
Green Or Greenish Poop Can Be Normal And Has A Lot Of Common Causes Behind It From Eating Green Foods To Taking Certain Medications
Peter Dazeley/Getty ImagesIt may be alarming to see green poop in your toilet bowl, but it isnt necessarily a cause for concern. All stool starts out as greenish-yellow, says Baltimore colon and rectal surgeon, Jeffery Nelson, MD, the surgical director at The Center for Inflammatory Bowel and Colorectal Diseases at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore.
Greenish-yellow is the color of bile, a fluid made by the liver that aids in the digestion process by breaking down fats into fatty acids for absorption and use by the body. As food makes its way down the digestive tract, it is stained by bile, which constantly drains into the gut. The liver makes bile and stores it in the gallbladder, the tiny sac that releases bile as it is needed.
During digestion, the greenish-yellow color becomes increasingly brown. But, there are factors that can interfere with that process. Heres a closer look at the underlying reasons why your poop is sometimes green.
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Bright Green Stool Causes And Implications
The causes of bright green diarrhea arises due to the following reasons
Also, bright green stool or poop is usually caused by lack of food. In most cases, when infants and toddlers are sick they dont eat much.
Causes Of Green Poop And Infection
Anyone can have green stool. The causes of green poop can come from various things, including:
Food
Many foods can cause green poop. The same pigment that causes plants to be green can cause your poop to turn green, too. The most common foods include spinach, kale, and broccoli. Some food dyes can also turn poop green.
Bacterial infection
When your body cant break down its waste as normal, it can cause green poop. These digestive issues are sometimes due to a more serious underlying infection like salmonella, e. coli, or a stomach virus. If youre experiencing green diarrhea with stomach cramps, nausea, or vomiting, its a good idea to contact your doctor.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome affects the way your large intestine functions. This can cause stomach cramping, constipation, and sometimes green diarrhea.
Iron supplements
Certain iron supplements can cause green poop. If your body is ingesting too much iron or is having trouble digesting iron supplements, it may cause changes in your digestive tract.
Certain medications
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What Does Green Diarrhea Mean
The term green diarrhea clearly indicates an atypical stool color. In this condition, the loose watery stools being passed are characterized by green or dark green color.
Green diarrhea is also typified by stools being passed in the form of greenish fluids and semi-solids.
But, why is my diarrhea green?
Many people overlook the fact that the form of our stools is not only affected by what we eat. The intestinal process of creating stools involves the role of green-colored fluid called bile.
The role of bile in digestion is pivotal for having normal colored stools and healthy excretion. So, the green poop that is being discharged indicates an unusually high presence of bile in our digestive systems.
Our liver and gallbladder function together to secrete and store bile, and this greenish fluid usually turns brown in the GI tract under normal digestive conditions.
The condition of diarrhea causes the stool to pass quickly through the GI tract, keeping the bile from breaking down. As a result, the green color is retained, causing our diarrhea to turn green in color.
What Do Different Stool Colors Mean
Different stool colors can mean different things, mostly depending on what youâve eaten.
Youâd probably notice if your poop is a different hue than normal. But what does it mean if itâs green? What about red, yellow, white, or black? Or orange?
Most of the time, minor changes in the color of your waste are due to diet. After all, we donât eat the same thing at every meal, every day. But sometimes a color change can signal a minor health issue. In rare cases, it means something serious is wrong in your digestive system.
If the color you see before you flush worries you, call your doctor.
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Should You Worry If Your Poop Is Green
Lets start with a basic fact: Youre not alone in finding an unexpectedly verdant dash of color in the toilet bowl following a splashdown. The color and shade of a bowel movement can vary day by day, says Dr. Lee. Its like life always changing and never the same.
So what causes it? Lets look at some potential Technicolor triggers.
Normal Variation Of Constipation
Constipation means bowel movements which have become infrequent and/or hardened and difficult to pass.
There is wide variation in what is thought “normal” when it comes to frequency of bowel movements. Anywhere from three times a day to three times a week is considered normal.
As long as stools are easy to pass, laxatives should not be used in an effort to force the body to a more frequent schedule.
Constipation is usually caused by lack of fiber in the diet not drinking enough water insufficient exercise and often suppressing the urge to have a bowel movement.
A number of medications and remedies, especially narcotic pain relievers, can cause constipation.
Women are often affected, due to pregnancy and other hormonal changes. Young children who demand low-fiber or “junk food” diets are also susceptible.
Constipation is a condition, not a disease, and most of the time is easily corrected. If simple adjustments in diet, exercise, and bowel habits don’t help, a doctor can be consulted to rule out a more serious cause.
Rarity: Common
Top Symptoms: abdominal pain , nausea, stomach bloating, constipation, constipation
Symptoms that always occur with normal variation of constipation: constipation
Symptoms that never occur with normal variation of constipation: vomiting
Urgency: Self-treatment
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Treatment For Green Diarrhea
- Exercise Regular exercise is important for the healthy functioning of the body as it helps to digest food, increase metabolism and get rid of toxins that are not required.
- Avoid processed food & beverages The presence of artificial sweeteners, color and other contents may disturb the digestive and immunity system of the body.
- Keeping the body hydrated Water is essential for proper digestion of food and expulsion of waste material from the body. Drinking adequate quantities of water ensure that hormones work accurately and aid in normal digestion.
- Diet A balanced diet is one that contains all nutrients in adequate quantities. It must contain roughage and fiber to be able to produce healthy stool and proper bowel movement.
- Avoid colored food items Artificial colors affect the digestive system and hamper digestion. It is advisable for people to have foods that do not contain artificial colors.
- Adequate sleep The body requires at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep regularly. It helps the body to rest and gives time for food to be digested properly.
- Avoid stress and anxiety The body reacts to stressful situations by increasing the frequency of bowel movement. Rapid movement leads to improper digestion.
- Healthy habits Being hygienic and clean can help in prevention and cure of green diarrhea. Avoiding fast food, washing ones hands before a meal or having hygienic food is all ways to treat green diarrhea.