9. What Your Poop Can Tell You About Your Health

TL;DR: The appearance of your poop can give insights into your health. Your poop should be brown in colour, look like a smooth, long sausage and sink instead of float. Deviations from this could be indicative of various health problems.

Intro

Everybody poops. It is such a common, everyday part of life that we don’t really give it much thought. Believe it or not though, our poop can give us some valuable insight into our health and give us warnings about potential issues or disorders. Because of this, it may be worth it to pay a bit more attention to what you leave behind after your bathroom break.

This article will overview some general information on poop, inform you on what the appearance of your poop may mean as well as go over some common pooping problems.

What is Poop?

All living things must dispose of waste byproducts [1]. Pooping is the way that humans, as well as most mammals do so.

Poop is made up of mostly water; about 75% by volume. The remaining quarter is made up of solids consisting of bacteria, protein, undigested plant matter and fat [2].

What Should Your Poop Look Like?

Shape

Believe it or not, there is actually a chart for how your poop should look, known as the Bristol Stool Chart. The Bristol Stool Chart provides 7 different characterizations of poop with 1 being constipation and 7 being diarrhea.

Normal, healthy poop is either type 3 or 4, characterized by a sausage shape that is either smooth or with cracks in the surface. If this is what you are seeing in the toilet it is a good indication that your digestion is operating correctly. Type 4 is considered to be most ideal.

If your poop is coming out as type one or type two it is an indication of constipation [3]. Often this is caused by dehydration so drinking more fluids should help to alleviate this.

If your poop is coming out as type 6 or 7 it is an indication of diarrhea. Often diarrhea is caused by some sort of food intolerance or sensitivity (such as eating a bunch of late-night spicy chicken from Popeyes). Eliminating food from your diet until your poop returns to normal is a good way to remedy this issue, as well as finding out what foods your body has a hard time processing. If you are having diarrhea more often than not, even after eliminating foods from your diet, it could be an indication of something more serious, such as irritable bowel-syndrome or some sort of digestional tract infection.

It is not uncommon for the types of poop you have to vary in shape due to various external factors, such as diet, stress and travelling. If for the most part your poop is soft and easy to pass, and is generally falling into Type 3 or 4, there should be no cause for concern.

Colour

Healthy poop should be brown in colour. If your poop is coming out in different colours it is often indicative of some sort of health problem.

Green poop is indicative of bile [3]. This often means that your food is moving too quickly through your digestive tract, not giving it enough time to break down. Generally, green poop is nothing to be concerned about and does not indicate any health issues, but if it is an ongoing issue it may be worth bringing it up at your next doctor’s visit to figure out what is going on.

Yellow poop is indicative of fat. If fat is present in your poop that means it is not being absorbed properly in your small intestine. Since fat is an essential human nutrient, this is cause for concern. It could mean that you have some sort of malabsorption disorder or even celiac disease. You should contact your doctor if your poops are often coming out yellow.

Black poop can be indicative of internal bleeding. It can also be caused by taking iron supplements, eating lots of black licorice or taking other medications. If you haven’t been taking any of these things and your poop is still black you should take it seriously and discuss it with your doctor as soon as possible.

Gray/white poop indicates that there is not enough bile present in your poop. A lack of bile in your poop could be caused by a bile duct obstruction. This obstruction can potentially lead to severe infection and other serious health complications so if your poop is gray or white you should bring it up to your doctor.

Red poop is often indicative of blood. Blood in your poop can indicate bleeding somewhere in your intestines or rectum which can be quite serious, so once again if your poop is coming out red you should discuss it with your doctor. Red poop can also be caused by eating beets or berries, so if you have been consuming those recently and your poop comes out red you likely have nothing to worry about.

Floaters vs Sinkers

Normal, healthy poop should sink to the bottom of the toilet bowl. Floating poop can mean your body is not effectively absorbing fats and oils, or simply that there is some trapped gas in your poop [3]. If you have a floater every once in a while, it is no cause for concern, however if all your poops are floaters it is yet again likely something worthwhile discussing with your doctor.

How Often Should You Poop?

The frequency in which you poop is dependent on many factors. Healthy pooping frequency is generally accepted to be anywhere in between less than three times a day and more than once every three days [3]. If you are pooping 3 or more times a day or less than once every 3 days it could be indicative of irritable bowel syndrome or high stress levels.

Dairy products have been shown to slow your digestive system, leading to less frequent poops, whereas alcohol and coffee can make you poop more frequently.

Common Pooping Problems

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

IBS is a digestive condition that is estimated to affect 10 to 15% of adults worldwide [5]. It is marked by frequent diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain and bloating. IBS is the second most common reason for people missing work, only being beaten by the common cold. The exact cause of IBS is unknown, but it is usually a result of some sort of disturbance between the brain, gut and nervous system, causing food to be passed either too quickly or too slowly through the digestive tract.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for IBS and it is a lifelong condition, however symptoms can be managed with treatment. For moderate cases of IBS it is suggested to keep a daily diary of various factors, such as what you have eaten that day, what your bowel movements have been like, how you are feeling, what medications you are taking, etc. From these, patterns can hopefully be derived between factors in your daily life and episodes of IBS. The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders has a handy diary template which you can access here.

More severe cases of IBS can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy or various drugs prescribed by a doctor.

Many have reported great success in treating IBS with the carnivore diet, when nothing else works. You can check out our full deep dive into the carnivore diet here.

Stress

There is a strong correlation between your brain and your gut. This is the reasoning behind “gut-feelings”, “butterflies in your stomach” when you are feeling nervous, and “gut-wrenching” experiences when something very sad happens.

Inside the walls of your digestive tract, there is what is known as the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) [7]. The ENS is filled with many neurons, thus it is often referred to as the “second brain”. The ENS uses neurotransmitters to communicate with your brain, forming what is often referred to as the Brain-Gut connection. Most of your body’s serotonin, in fact about 95% of it [8], is manufactured by the ENS. Serotonin is useful for digestion as it helps to contract the muscles in your colon, moving food along through your intestines to be digested.

When you are stressed, your brain begins to produce cortisol, adrenaline and serotonin. Through the Brain-Gut connection this raises the amount of serotonin in your gut, causing the muscles to spasm. If the spasming happens throughout your entire colon, it can lead to diarrhea. If the spasming is localized in a certain area it can stop digestion, leading to constipation.

To keep your poops healthy and normal, you should take efforts to reduce the amount of stress in your life. We have touched on various methods to reduce stress in other articles, such as meditation, which you can read about here.

Interestingly, the Brain-Gut connection works both ways. Much like how stress can lead to digestive issues, digestive issues can actually lead to stress chemicals being released in your brain. This can cause a vicious downwards spiral, where stress leads to digestive issues, which leads to more stress, which leads to further digestive issues.

Conclusion

As gross as it is, poop provides us with a wealth of information. Healthy poop should be brown in colour, look like a long smooth sausage and sink. Any other colour or consistency is usually indicative of some sort of health problem that should be investigated and remedied. If you are chronically having diarrhea or constipation you may have IBS, or you may just need to reduce the stress in your life.

Thanks for reading and may your poops always be type 4!