No need to worry if you remove green stool because it's quite normal. However, do not ignore the green stool accompanied by other symptoms such as diarrhea or stomach pain.
Normal feces are generally light brown to dark brown. The color comes from food scraps, red blood cells that have died, and bacteria in the large intestine. Stool can change color when food is not long enough in your digestive tract.
Causes of Green Stool
Changes in stool color to green are common. This can be caused by normal things like certain foods or drinks, to diseases. The following causes:
Eating green foods
In addition to diarrhea, green stool can also be caused by consuming too much vegetables, fruits, nuts, or green herbs. Green leafy vegetables are rich in chlorophyll, which is a green pigment that gives plants color. In addition, synthetic food coloring that is green can also affect the color of stool to green.
Taking supplements or certain medications below can also make green stool:
- Iron supplements, although more commonly cause black stool.
- Supplements that contain chlorophyll, such as spirulina, green algae, and chlorophyll.
- Antibiotics.
- NSAIDs, such as indomethacin.
Diarrhea
The process of digesting food consumed into feces takes about two to three days. But when diarrhea, this process becomes disrupted. Diarrhea makes the movement of food in the intestine occurs too fast, so that digestive enzymes and bacteria in the intestine can not break down the bile pigment into a normal brown color.
Generally, as soon as diarrhea stops or reduces the intake of green vegetables, green stool will return to normal within a few days. However, if green stools occur protracted or are accompanied by other symptoms such as vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, and bleeding during bowel movements, it is advisable to immediately go to the doctor to get the right treatment.
Stool colors that need to be wary of
Here are a few colors of stool that need further inspection:
Black stool
Black stool can occur after taking iron supplements. In addition, black or reddish stool that is considered dangerous is caused by bleeding in the digestive tract. This requires immediate medical treatment.
Red stool
If your stool is red, pay attention to the level of redness. The level of red color is influenced by how fast the blood flows in the intestine. The brighter the red color of your stool, the more this condition needs to be watched out for. Some causes such as hemorrhoids, polyps, or colon tumors.
But you do not need to panic immediately, other than because of illness, red stool can also be caused by red pigmented foods or drinks such as dragon fruit, tomatoes, or beets.
White stool
White stool is a serious symptom that needs to be seen by a doctor. The reason is because there is a blockage in the bile duct, so bile can not be channeled into the intestine.
The cause of this blockage is inflammation of the bile ducts, gallstones, or tumors that suppress the bile duct.
Stool discoloration cannot be the only sign that doctors use to diagnose patients. Generally doctors will do a physical examination and pay attention to medical history, drugs consumed, and diet.
Then, the stool can be examined to see if there is blood, fat, or white blood cells and germs that cause infections in it. If stool discoloration is considered risky, the doctor can examine several important organs in the digestive system such as the pancreas, intestine, stomach, liver, and bile ducts.
Maintain Healthy Digestive System
For normal stools and a healthy digestive tract, a diet rich in fiber is needed, enough drinking water, and regular exercise. You can eat whole-grain cereals or bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, and nuts.
Drink enough water to facilitate the process of discharge of faeces regularly. Also do regular exercise to improve metabolic processes and bowel movements.
In general, green stool is harmless. However, if it occurs protracted or is accompanied by other symptoms, immediately consult a doctor.
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