Green stool – causes of stool discoloration

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Green stools are not normal in both children and adults. However, before you become concerned about the unnatural color of your stools, check what may be the cause of your stool discoloration. Is green stool always a symptom of an ongoing medical condition? Or maybe specific components of our diet affect the green color of stools?

What is the correct color for stools?

The color of the stool often attracts our attention, especially when the color is significantly different from the standard color. You have to remember that the color of the stool largely depends on what we include in our diet and what drinks we drink. Human stool is a mixture of water, food and bacteria, therefore deviation from the natural color can be disturbing. A normal stool is brown in color, ranging from light brown to dark brown. It should be noted that the shape and consistency of the stool also indicate the health condition. It should not be too soft or too hard. A disturbing symptom may also be undigested food residues in the stool. The most common deviations from the norm are black, red, yellow, white and green stools. The color change is not always the result of a disease, but if the stool color is different for several days, and in addition to stomach pains, you should immediately seek medical advice and perform appropriate diagnostic tests. Make an appointment with a family doctor as part of the National Health Fund via the halodoctor.pl portal.

Green stool – is it a disease?

Green stools may be a symptom of an ongoing disease in your body. Among the diseases that cause the stool to turn green, the most common are:

  1. Food poisoning
  2. Irritable bowel syndrome
  3. Ulcerative colitis
  4. Crohn’s disease
  5. Absorption disorders
  6. Parasitic infections
  7. Food allergies
  8. Increased amount of unfriendly bacteria in the small intestine,
  9. Celiac disease.

You can buy tests for celiac disease, Crohn’s disease and food allergies quickly and safely at Medonet Market.

Do your symptoms require medical consultation? Check it out for yourself in a short medical interview.

Green stool – diet effect

Fortunately, green stools aren’t always a harbinger of disease. Usually, the ingredients from which we compose our daily diet are responsible for the green color of the stool. The green color of stools appears when we eat a lot of foods that contain chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in dietary ingredients such as broccoli, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, and numerous dietary supplements. The green stool in this case is simply the result of being stained by chlorophyll. This is analogous to the red stool after eating beetroot. If the green color of your stool disappears after you change your diet, don’t be alarmed. If your stool is still green after 2-3 days, contact your doctor.

If you have green stools, consult a dietitian who will suggest what changes in your diet can help you get rid of the problem. You can make an appointment at the Arkmedic private medical center.

Green stool – other causes

In addition to diet and disease states, bile may also be responsible for the green color of the stool, which changes color from green to yellow during transport through the small intestine, and then to brown under the influence of the bacterial flora. Green stool occurs when food moves too quickly through the intestine. It is normal for bile to not keep up with the color change, which in turn leads to the passing of green stool. This situation arises especially with the use of laxatives. Green stools can also appear during antibiotic treatment. Taking antibiotics disturbs the natural bacterial flora in the intestines, which causes problems with the color of the stools. Therefore, during antibiotic therapy, kefirs or yoghurts should be included in the diet.

Green stool – do you need diagnostics?

If we are sure that green feces are not caused by our daily diet, it is worth doing some diagnostic tests. In the case of stool, infectious causes should be taken into account, therefore it is recommended to perform a stool examination for the presence of fungi and parasites. It is also worth doing allergy tests that may indicate significant food allergies.

You can buy a test to help determine the cause of the stool color change at Medonet Market. The offer includes tests for mycosis of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as allergic and parasitic tests. You can do the research without leaving your home.

The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website. Do you need a medical consultation or an e-prescription? Go to halodoctor.pl, where you will get online help – quickly, safely and without leaving your home.

1 Comment

  1. dobrý deň pobolieva ma brucho a moja stolica je zelená , buď redšia alebo trochu hustejšia a to držím dietu

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