Stool Color Codes!

 

Well, its that time of year again. Well you probably do not know what I’m going on about, but does this tell you anything?

Canned Red BEETS!

YES! YES! Its beet season again! Why am I excited you ask? well first of all, I like the taste of sweet red beets. Plus when I eat them I can pretend I’m a vampire that just fed. (Oh don’t pretend that you don’t do that. That’s the only good thing about beets)

In any case, a few hours after eating those yummy root thingies, we go to our beloved local WC to take care of our dumpage buisiness, and what do you know, a nice surprise! We’ve got a part of a rainbow! A nice deep red, or a fountain of purple or orange (depending on intensity of beet feasting)! Now ain’t that a treat for the eyes! 

Sure its all fun and games for that time. But a surprise is nice only when its once a year. If its Christmas everyday, it sort of becomes a drag, right? And that’s the exact same thing when it comes to our colored products. 

That’s why we should be wary of our “stool” color as the experts call it.

No, not that kind of stool -_-

The following table details all the colors of your rainbow, and what concerns and causes might have made it happen

Stool Color	Stool Color Meaning	Probable Health or Dietary Causes
Light to medium brown	Normal	Normal
Very light brown	Too much fat in the body, liver problem, or constipation	Insufficient fiber content in the diet
Black	Duodenal ulcer, Internal bleeding in the upper section of the GI tract, i.e. Esophagus, stomach or first section of the small intestine	Consumption of highly concentrated iron supplements, large quantities of olives, licorice, blue berries; heavy intake of alcohol, improper blood flow to the intestine, and vascular malformation
Dark red or maroon	Internal bleeding of the lower section of the GI tract, internal hemorrhoids, anal fissure, colon polyps,diverticulitis, or colon cancer	Internal bleeding causes blood to seep into the colon and get mixed with the blood
Bright red	Hemorrhoids, digestive system disorders, or colon cancer	Consumption of foods that are rich in red dyes such as licorice, candy, and other artificially colored food items, all causes of black or dark red colored stool in addition
Orange	Gallbladder malfunctioning, fast transit time	Gallbladder malfunction, fast transit time, consumption of medicines or foods like carrots and spinach containing beta-carotene, antacids containing aluminum hydroxide, and artificially synthesized food items
Yellow	Gilbert’s syndrome, malabsorption, giardiasis, and pancreatic cancer	Gilbert’s syndrome leads to poor processing of red blood cells; malabsorption of fats leads it to the colon, where it mixes with stool; in giardiasis, the protozoans cause diarrhea
Dark Green Stool	Indigestion of green vegetables such as spinach, a fast transit time, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitisand celiac disease	Consumption of green leafy vegetables, foods flavored with limes, iron supplements, vitamin supplements containing chlorophyll, or foods that contain green dyes such as Kool-Aid and gelatin
Gray	Malabsorption	Blockage of bile flow from gallbladder to intestine. The most probable reason is presence of tumor in the bile ducts or pancreas
Clay	Malabsorption, hepatitis, gallbladder disorders	Hepatitis and gallbladder problems disrupt the flow of bile out of the liver, and hence the stool turns to clay

 (courtesy of http://www.buzzle.com/articles/stool-color-meanings.html)

Oh and eating rainbow colored food doesn’t help by the way…

its the leprechaun's trap! don't eat it!

And we’ve another table for your fountain of youth! if your pee-pee is colored, there might be a problem aswell.

Urine Color	Urine Color Meaning	Possible Underlying Disease or Condition
Clear urine	Excess liquid consumption	Any liver disease, like hepatitis or liver cirrhosis, diabetes insipidus or diabetes mellitus. This of also often the urine color during pregnancy
Bright yellow or neon yellow	Vitamin supplements	Excessive consumption of vitamin capsules, leading to a potential risk of hypervitaminosis
Dark yellow or golden color	Very concentrated urine	Severe dehydration, may also be indicative of over consumption of laxatives or food supplements which contain B complex vitamins. Read more on dark yellow urine causes
Pink or red color	Hematuria, indicative of blood in urine	Kidney infections, bladder infections, excessive consumption of certain foods like beets and berries and food dyes, also due to some laxatives
Orange	Due to certain drugs like rifampin, doxorubicin, phenazopyridine and warfarin	If there is ornage urine color, dehydration, excess intake of certain food dyes, laxatives are often implicated
Blue or green	Side effect of certain medications like amitriptylene, indomethacin	Over consumption of certain foods like asparagus and food dyes
Cloudy or murky	Inability of the kidneys to produce normal urine, presence of protein in urine	Urinary tract infection, like inflammation of the urethra (urethritis), bladder infection, kidney stones etc. Read more on cloudy urine causes
Dark brown or tea colored	Often accompanied by pale stools and jaundice, or diarrhea	Indicative of an underlying liver disorder, side effect of certain medications, blood in urine, could also be caused due to certain foods and food dyes

(http://www.buzzle.com/articles/urine-color-meaning.html)

Ouh! you might be a new evolved breed of unicorn!

 

And a word of caution… If the products of your digestion tend to glow in the dark… You just might be a new kind of superhero. Use your powers wisely. For further info, contact the Public Toilet Janitor in Chief.