Stool is an indicator that can reveal our health status. If the appearance or color of your stool is different from usual, it may indicate an issue with your body.

 

If you are malnourished, your stool becomes thinner.

 

Pay close attention to the shape of your stool. Generally, healthy stool is long and moderately thick, like a banana. If your stool becomes thinner than usual, it may indicate poor nutritional status. This type of stool is often associated with severe dieting that leads to inadequate eating. Rarely, a narrowing of the stool can be caused by colon or rectal cancer. If the stool remains consistently thin and does not return to normal, it is advisable to undergo a colonoscopy. Conversely, if the stool becomes thicker than usual, breaks in the middle, or resembles small rabbit droppings, you should pay attention to your fluid intake.

◇Green and yellow indicate normal, while black or red suggest bleeding.

 

The color of stool is also important. The reason stool is brown is due to bile. Bile is an enzyme that digests fats, produced in the liver and transported to the duodenum through the bile duct. There, it meets food and then moves down to the intestines, where it changes color to brown, ochre, or yellow upon contact with intestinal bacteria. Bile is originally green. Since each person has different diets and gut bacteria distributions, the color of bile after transformation varies. Seeing stool that is brown, ochre, or yellow is all within the normal range.

 

However, if the stool is red, black, or whitish, it may be due to illness. Red stool indicates bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal tract, such as the rectum or colon, which are close to the anus. This could suggest colon cancer or other conditions. Black stool, on the other hand, signals bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, such as the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, or small intestine. Blood mixed with food turns black over time. Conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastritis, or stomach ulcers are prone to cause bleeding.

If stool is white, there is a possibility of bile duct obstruction. When the bile duct is blocked, bile cannot flow into the duodenum, and bile does not mix with the stool. In this case, the stool appears as clumped white rice or as if tofu has been mashed. The bile duct is mainly blocked in cases of cholangitis or bile duct cancer.

 

◇ The number of bowel movements varies from person to person

 

Meanwhile, the frequency of bowel movements varies from person to person. Some may go two to three times a day, while others may go once every two to three days. If there is no discomfort, all are considered normal. Intense exercise or high stress levels can increase the frequency of bowel movements, while eating a lot of meat can decrease it. The smell of stool changes depending on the foods consumed. Eating a lot of meat tends to increase the number of harmful bacteria in the gut, leading to a stronger odor.

 

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Because of the shape change, depending on the number of times

You can do a health check.

 

My mother has constipation.

I had a colonoscopy this time.

There is nothing unusual or strange.

They say it's neurogenic.