Nowadays, we can monitor a variety of health-related parameters through mobile phones, watches, bracelets or smart rings: daily steps, type and intensity of training, calories, heart rate, sleep time, etc. But we cannot ignore the observation of “analog” metrics that do not rely on coverage or connectivity. Wifi or battery. One of these parameters is the appearance of the feces.
It may not sound appealing, but monitoring our bowel movements is quick and easy, and given the connections of the gut and its microbiome to other organs and systems in the body, can provide health information beyond the digestive system.
To encourage you to incorporate this routine into your self-care routine, we’ll review the key characteristics of a normal bowel movement. We’ll mainly talk about color and consistency, but it’s important to also pay attention to the smell and behavior of the bowel movement itself. While a healthy bowel movement requires little effort and is painless, a strong, unpleasant odor is normal as the intestinal microbiota breaks down waste.
Color: Beyond Brown
Generally, in good health, stool is brown, somewhere between caramel and cocoa, a shade given by our red blood cells and their aging process. The life cycle of red blood cells is about 120 days, and when they complete their life cycle and are broken down by the spleen, bilirubin is produced. It combines in the liver to produce pigments called urobilinogen, which are stored in the gallbladder as part of bile and reach the part of the small intestine called the duodenum, giving stool its color.
However, the consumption of certain foods and drugs, as well as certain pathological processes, may alter its color “palette”.Let’s make a guide Pantone This helps us interpret the color of stool:
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green: Spinach, broccoli, and other chlorophyll-rich foods cause a green color.But also salmonella, you’ve no doubt heard of this bacteria, which causes gastroenteritis. so? If you feel fine and eat spinach, you don’t have to worry. If not, and you also experience symptoms of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or fever, remain alert and seek medical attention.
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orange: Foods rich in beta-carotene, such as carrots or pumpkin, can stain stool this color. The same goes for rifampicin (a drug widely used to treat mycobacterial infections such as tuberculosis) and some antacids.
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yellow: Indicates the presence of excess fat in the feces, which may be due to intestinal absorption problems (such as celiac disease and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) or a lack of pancreatic enzymes or bile. If there is too much fat, the stool will also be shiny and floating.
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white: White, pale, or gray stools warn of liver or gallbladder disease.
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Red: This can be explained by small amounts of undigested food remaining, such as the skins of tomatoes or red peppers, or by the presence of blood in the stool. Small red lines on the surface usually indicate hemorrhoids or fissures. If there is blood mixed in the stool, we should consider an inflammatory process in the intestines or the presence of polyps or tumors.
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Black: Although it seems strange, it could also be due to the presence of blood. In this case, it corresponds to the residue of bleeding upstream of the digestive tract: when the blood is “digested” during transportation, the blood turns a dark color approaching black. These stools, which we clinically refer to as “bristle,” often have a very strong odor and are very sticky to the toilet bowl. Other causes of black stool may be the ingestion of medications such as iron or foods such as squid ink, beets, or blueberries.
Consistency: Bristol Scale
Consistency is a key piece of information in assessing gut health, which is fundamentally determined by water content. When intestinal transit is rapid, water absorption is limited, resulting in liquid or semi-liquid stools. If this transport is slow, absorption occurs in all parts of the intestine and the stool becomes dehydrated and hard.
To measure the consistency of stool, we have an ordinal scale, the Bristol Stool Shape Scale (BSFS), which classifies stool according to its consistency and shape, from the hardest (Type 1) to the softest (7 type).
An at-a-glance description of the appearance of each modality is as follows:
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Type 1: Hard and separated pieces, such as nuts, that are difficult to evacuate.
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Type 2: Sausage-shaped, composed of visible fragments.
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Type 3: Shaped like a sausage or blood sausage, with cracks on the surface.
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Type 4: Sausage or snake shape, soft and smooth.
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Type 5: Dough pieces with clear edges and easy deflation.
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Type 6: Soft, spongy pieces with irregular edges and a soft or mushy texture.
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Type 7: Watery stool, no solid fragments, completely liquid.
Cabot Health, Bristol Stool Chart/WikipediaCC
Types 1 and 2 are abnormally hard stools that often indicate constipation, while types 6 and 7 are considered loose stools and are associated with diarrhea. This will target types 3, 4 and 5 normally. The ideal state is designated as type 4.
Encourage you to monitor your health without application And incorporate this little color guide and simple Bristol scale into your daily life. Check before flushing the toilet and if you notice any warning signs, talk to your nurse, nutritionist, family doctor and/or digestive specialist or gastroenterologist.