Feces & Feces Color - MedFriendly.com

WHAT DO THE BACTERIA INSIDE OF FECES LOOK LIKE?

The bacteria inside of feces can take many different shapes and appearances. Above is a picture of a

common type of bacteria found in feces known as fecal coliform bacteria (fecal means pertaining to

feces).

WHAT MAKES FECES SMELL SO BAD?

The bacteria inside of the feces is what makes them smell so bad. Specifically, the bacteria produce

various compounds and gases that lead to the infamous smell of feces. Just in case you were wondering,

you can get very sick by eating feces because it contains so many types of bacteria and other harmful

substances such as parasites. So we wouldn't suggest adding feces to your diet any time soon.

CAN I REDUCE THE BAD SMELL OF MY FECES?

Yes. Feces will vary in smell depending on the type of foods and drinks that you consume. Generally

speaking, feces will smell worse if you consume foods or liquids with many artificial flavors or chemicals in

them. The bad smell of feces will usually be reduced by eating more natural foods that do not contain any

artificial flavors or chemicals. Remember, however, that these are general guidelines that vary from

person. The only way to know for sure is to monitor the smell of feces depending on the types of foods in

the diet and to see if the smell changes when certain foods are removed or added.

WHY ARE FECES BROWNISH-YELLOW IN COLOR?

Feces are mostly shades of brown or yellow because they are also made up of an orange-yellow

substance called bilirubin that is present throughout the body and particularly in the intestine. When iron

combines with bilirubin, it gives it a brown color. The iron-influenced bilirubin then combines with the feces

and turns it brown.

WHAT CAUSES FECES TO BE MOSTLY YELLOW?

One condition that can cause yellow poop is an infection known as giardia. Giardia are tiny organisms

that are also parasites. Parasites are organisms that live in or on another organism to obtain nourishment.

If giardia infects the intestines it can cause severe yellow diarrhea. This is a dangerous infection that can

spread to others. In fact doctors that see it have to report it to the government's Center for Disease

Control and Prevention.

Another cause of yellow poop is a condition known as Gilbert's syndrome. This condition is characterized

by jaundice (a yellow discoloration of the skin) and hyperbilirubinemia. Hyperbilirubinemia is when too

much of a substance known as bilirubin (a red pigment secreted by the liver) is present in the circulating

blood. Since bilirubin is an orange-yellow color, too much bilrubin in the blood can lead to yellow-colored

skin and yellow poop. See your doctor if you are concerned about the color of your poop.

WHAT OTHER COLORS CAN FECES BE?

Feces can be black if dried blood is present in it from a bleed. More active bleeding can lead feces to be

red. In addition, intense red food coloring can cause bright red poop. Sometimes brightly colored foods

pass through the body almost unchanged, and the poop may be speckled with bright red spots. Even more

strange is that feces can be blue or green in children with certain illnesses or if they eat food with a lot of

green or blue food coloring. Babies can also get green feces when they are given food for the first time.

Adults can also have green poop if they eat large amounts of green, leafy vegetables or if they eat large

amounts of foods with green food coloring. Green feces can also occur with diarrhea if bile salts pass

through the intestine unchanged. Bile salts are substances that make up bile, which is a fluid produced by

the liver that help digest fat. The liver is the largest organ in the body and is responsible for filtering

(removing) harmful chemical substances, producing important chemicals for the body, and other important

functions.

Feces can even appear white if one drinks a substance known as barium sulfate. Barium sulfate is often

given to patients getting an X-ray of the digestive tract because it assists doctors in visualizing the

resulting picture from the X-ray better. See your doctor if you are concerned about the color of your poop.

HOW ARE FECES EXAMINED TO DIAGNOSE MEDICAL PROBLEMS?

To diagnose various medical problems, feces are often examined for their smell, color, quantity, and

consistency. Feces are also examined under a microscope for blood, mucus, fat, or parasites (organisms

that live on or in another organism and gain nourishment from it).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF THERE IS UNDIGESTED FOOD IN THE FECES?

If food appears in the feces looking very similar to how you it was when you ate it, this means that the

food has not been digested (broken down and absorbed) by the body. Believe it or not, many foods that

we eat cannot be digested by the enzymes in our digestive system. An enzyme is a type of protein that

helps produce chemical reactions in the body.

Foods that cannot be digested by the human body usually contain a high amount of dietary fiber. Dietary

fiber is a term for chemical substances in the cells of plants that cannot be digested by the human body.

Dietary fiber cannot be digested by the human body because it lacks the necessary enzymes to do so.

More specifically, dietary fiber is resistant to hydrolysis. Hydrolysis is a process in which a substance is

broken down by splitting its chemical bond and adding water to it. Since dietary fiber cannot be digested, it

passes through the body virtually unchanged and cannot be used as an energy source. Although humans

cannot digest dietary fiber, some of it is broken down by bacteria to produce gas and acids.

Examples of foods that are not digested well by the human body include corn, peanuts, peas, carrots,

cereals, and beans. If the bacteria in the body are successful, some of the carbohydrates in these foods

may be broken down. If not, however, we will see these foods in the feces. Carbohydrates are a group of

substances present in certain types of foods (such as sugar) that provides the body with energy.

Research also suggests that the more a food is cooked, the more difficult it is for the body to digest it.

This is generally true of most foods. The higher the temperature that the food is cooked, the longer it will

stay in the digestive system, and the more difficult it will be for the body to digest. Why does this happen?

To begin with, all foods are made up of chemicals that are arranged in certain patterns. Our digestive

system is generally able to break down foods that fit these general patterns. However, the chemical

patterns of all foods can be changed when they are heated past a certain point. Thus, foods that are

deep-fried and barbecued often have their chemical pattern changed. As a result, the body does not

understand how to deal with these new chemical patterns and the food can pass out of the body

undigested because the body does not have the necessary enzymes to digest it properly.

If the above reasons are not causing food to be undigested, this could indicate a problem in the digestive

system. In a healthy person, it should take between 24 and 36 hours to digest food. If the food comes out

of the body faster than this, this usually means that there is a build up of debris (the remains of something

broken down) that is preventing the colon from digesting food.

The colon is the major part of the large intestine, that absorbs water and some types of salts from the

digested material that passes through it. The intestine is a tube shaped structure that is part of the

digestive tract, and is located in the belly. The large intestine absorbs moisture from the matter that is left

after it is digested in the small intestine, and releases the waste from the anus (the area that feces comes

out of). The small intestine is a part of the intestine that takes in all of the nutrients (healthy substances)

that the body needs.

A healthy piece of feces is about one foot long. Shorter sized feces suggest that the colon is not able to

process the food correctly and that the feces produced does not have the correct amount of moisture in it.

WHAT IS A FECALOMA?

A fecaloma is a a buildup of thickened, stone-like feces. Click the fecaloma link to learn more.

WHAT ELSE ARE FECES CALLED?

Feces are also known as stool and stercus. The word fecaloid means resembling feces (e.g., mud).

WHY IS IT CALLED FECES?

Feces comes from the Latin word "faex," which means "dregs." Dregs means the most undesirable part.