What Your Poop Is Telling You?

by Bold Apps

I know, I know... poop isn't something you want to talk about! In fact, it is usually an off-putting topic and people generally feel uncomfortable and embarrassing when they have to talk about it, even with their doctor. But, the truth is, your poop - from the shape, size, smell, and color - can tell you so much about your overall health and wellbeing.

So, let's see what you can find out about your health from what you see in the toilet after doing a poop.

What is Normal Poop?

First of all, you need to understand that 'normal' differs from person to person. So, your 'normal' can be somebody's weird. You need to find out what's the regular frequency, texture, and smell of your bowel movements so that you can determine your normal poop.

As a general rule, it is considered a good health requirement to poop daily, and ideally first thing in the morning. This is also something that varies from person to person. But, you should be aware of the fact that what you eat and the diet you follow plays an important role in frequency and consistency of your poop. In other words, your poop is literally what you eat and the ideal indicator of your health.

Several other factors can also influence your bowel movement including physical activity, sleep deprivation, water consumption, hormonal imbalance, menopause, and medical treatments. So please keep this in mind.

The Bristol Stool Chart

The Bristol Stool Chart describes seven types of poop categorised by texture and is used by medical professionals to classify bowel movements. Here's a brief outline of the 7 types of stool:

  • Type 1 - separate hard lumps which are hard to pass
  • Type 2 - sausage-shaped, yet lumpy
  • Type 3 - sausage-shaped with cracks on the surface
  • Type 4 - sausage- or snake-like, smooth and soft
  • Type 5 - soft blobs with clear-cut edges which pass easily
  • Type 6 - soft and fluffy pieces with ragged edges
  • Type 7 - entirely liquid without solid pieces

This means that: Types 1 and 2 suggest constipation, 3 and 4 are the perfect types of stool, whereas 5, 6, and 7 indicate diarrhoea.

What is the Color Telling You?

Namely, if your poop color is anything else besides brown, it is normally due to the food you ate most recently though can indicate a serious health concern.

Here's a basic guide on what your poop color is telling you about your health:

  • coloured (almost black) - bleeding from higher in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, stomach ulcer, or high iron levels;
  • Pale and coloured (white) - problems with bile, either inability to get into your GI tract or not enough bile produced by the liver, indicating a stone or a tumor, hepatitis, or cirrhosis;
  • Red - blood in your stool from the intestines, suggesting polyp, diverticulitis, inflammation, or colon cancer;
  • Yellow - issues with fat digestion, suggests celiac disease or chronic pancreatitis;
  • Green - a usual sign of infection.

What is the Smell Telling You?

The truth is, stools have an unpleasant smell and that is completely normal no matter what color or texture it is. This odor is due to the bacteria present in the colon needed for breaking down food. However, if the smell of your poop changes or you notice that it suddenly smells unbearable and abnormally bad, you'd better seek medical help and perhaps ask your doctor for a stool test to determine what is happening in your colon and intestinal tract.

The extremely bad odor can be a result of an infection or even suggest colon inflammation due to inflammatory bowel disease, or indicate celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, or lactose intolerance.

The Link between Stool and Certain Health Conditions

Your stool can also point out to some digestive conditions when specific problems appear together with other symptoms. Such digestive conditions include IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.

IBS, which is a very common colon disorder, can be identified when a person experiences bout of constipation or diarrhoea, or sometimes even both, excess gas, and stomach pain.

Then, Crohn's is the chronic disease characterised by inflammation of bowel which results in chronic diarrhoea, significant weight loss, lower abdominal pain, and fever.

And, similarly to Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory condition characterised by inflammation in the rectum that later spreads to other parts of the colon and results in chronic diarrhoea with traces of blood.

Final Thoughts

It’s no surprise that your number two can tell you lots about your health. Monitoring your poop is the perfect way to detect some serious health conditions in the early stages and to determine any changes needed within your diet or lifestyle.

So, next time you go to the toilet, take a closer look at what you see, and smell, before you flush!

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