What Does the Color of Your Poop Mean?

Medically reviewed by Robert Burakoff, MD

Normal poop color is light to dark brown, but stool comes in different colors. You might occasionally notice your bowel movements are green, yellow, black, orange, and white.

It isn't unusual to have brightly colored bowel movements, Jamile Wakim-Fleming, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic, told Health. Different colors are typically the result of dietary causes, such as additives and dyes that are not digested.

Different color stools can be normal, but frequent colorful poop can be a sign of a more severe health condition. For example, pale or tan-colored stool can indicate a gallbladder, liver, or pancreas problem. Read on to learn more about stool color, including what's normal and different causes.

What Is Normal Stool Color?

Stool is usually dark or light brown, but all shades of brown are considered "normal" stool color. It's not uncommon for stool to change in color, typically due to a health concern or dietary causes. Treating the underlying cause or adjusting your diet can help restore stool color.

Poop Color Meaning

It's absolutely normal for stool to vary in color. These color changes are often due to foods in your diet. All shades of brown and most shades of green are considered "normal." Brown is normally associated with the natural breakdown of bile in the GI tract. Bile is secreted by the liver and helps to break down fat.

Poop that isn't brown or green isn't always cause for concern. Any time there's a change of stool color or consistency—or if you're at all worried about your poop color and other symptoms—it doesn't hurt to talk with a healthcare provider.

Green

Green-colored poop may have to do with your diet or how quickly food is moving through your gut. Possible causes include:

• Diet: Green poop may be due to something in your diet, like green leafy vegetables or green food coloring. You may even spot bits of vegetable roughage in your stool, like kale.

• Dumping syndrome: This is when food moves too quickly from the stomach to the small intestine, and it's common after stomach or esophageal surgery.

• Gut motility: Green-colored poop may also be a sign that food is moving through the digestive tract too quickly without enough time for bile to turn stool brown. This can also be due to diarrhea, in addition to dumping syndrome.

Orange

There are a few causes of orange stool, including:

• Diet: Beta-carotene is a pigment that gives orange food its color. You might notice orange-colored poop if you've recently eaten foods rich in beta-carotene, such as carrots, pumpkins, or sweet potatoes. Foods with orange coloring, such as candy or soda, can also cause orange stool.

• Liver health: A lack of bile production in the liver may cause orange poop. Liver problems, however, usually lead to white or tan-colored stool.

• Medications: Antibiotics and antacids that have aluminum hydroxide may be the cause of orange-colored stool.
  

Yellow

Yellow-colored stool is considered normal in infants, especially if they're breastfed. Adults may notice yellow-colored poop in a few different situations, including:

• Celiac disease: It might be a sign of celiac disease if stool is yellow and also oily, greasy, and smells worse than usual. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that's triggered by gluten, which damages the small intestine. Following a gluten-free diet helps treat celiac disease and can help restore stool color.

• Diet: You might find your poop changes color after consuming certain foods. Foods that are high in fat may cause your stool to appear pale or yellow.

• Giardiasis: This is a parasitic infection caused by Giardia lamblia. People typically contract giardiasis after consuming contaminated water. The parasite can also be found in soil or stool. Other symptoms can include abdominal pain, fever, headache, and vomiting.

White or Tan

Tan poop is usually the result of a problem with the biliary system, which includes the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas. The liver makes bile, which is a yellowish-brown liquid that's stored in the gallbladder. Bile is released into the stomach, where it helps break down fats from the food you eat. A compound in bile called bilirubin helps give stool its brown color.

A lack of bile—and, therefore, a lack of bilirubin—can result in pale-colored stool. Several health conditions can reduce the amount of bile, including:

• Alcoholic hepatitis: This is inflammation of the liver, which results from excess alcohol intake. Complications of alcoholic hepatitis include liver disease, liver failure, and malnutrition. You can usually treat alcoholic hepatitis by stopping drinking alcohol.

• Biliary cirrhosis: This is inflammation of the bile ducts in the liver, which blocks the flow of bile. It's not clear what causes biliary cirrhosis, but autoimmune disorders may play a role. If you have an autoimmune disorder, the immune system mistakenly targets and attacks healthy cells. Celiac disease, for example, damages the small intestine in response to eating gluten.

• Biliary stricture: Narrowing of the bile duct usually occurs as a result of gallbladder surgery. You may develop a loss of appetite, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), and right-side abdominal pain.

• Cysts: A cyst is a benign (non-cancerous) fluid-filled growth that develops on the bile ducts and can block the flow of bile. Some cysts go away on their own, while others require surgery to remove.

• Gallstones: These hardened pieces of bilirubin or cholesterol form in the gallbladder and can block the flow of bile.

• Medications: Certain medications can cause hepatitis and affect the color of your stool. These medications may include anabolic steroids, antibiotics, herbal supplements, and pain relievers, such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) and statins.

• Sclerosing cholangitis: This is inflammation of or damage to the bile ducts. The cause is unknown in most cases. Autoimmune disorders or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may cause sclerosing cholangitis in some people.

• Structural defect: Bile turns stool brown, so a tan color might mean the bile did not get into the intestine. There could be a structural defect, such as an obstruction in the bile duct or a stone in the liver.

• Tumors: A tumor is an abnormal growth of cells. Benign or malignant (cancerous) tumors can impair the flow of bile, resulting in tan poop.

• Viral hepatitis: The viruses hepatitis A, B, and C can cause inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis C is a viral infection that can lead to liver disease if untreated.

Black

Black-colored poop in babies may just be a sign of eating too many foods like blueberries. It's a sign that something serious could be going on in adults. Seek medical attention right away if you notice black, tar-like poop.

Possible causes include:

• Bleeding: Black-colored stool can indicate bleeding in the upper GI tract, including the stomach or the first part of the small intestine called the duodenum. Blood in the upper GI tract can also give stool a tar-like consistency, which could be due to ulcers, sores, or tumors.

• Diet: Black licorice, blueberries, or blood sausage may turn poop black, but the consistency usually remains the same.

• Medications: Black color alone isn't always cause for concern. Activated charcoal, iron supplements, and Pepto-Bismol may cause black stool.

Red

Some foods, like beets and red gelatin, might cause reddish poop. A bright red color is often a sign of bleeding in the lower GI tract.

Health conditions that may cause bleeding include:

• Anal fissure: Is a cut or tear in the tissue lining the anus

• Cancer: Includes anal, colon, or rectal cancer

• Diverticular disease: Occurs when diverticula (bulging sacs in the colon) become inflamed or infected

• Hemorrhoids: Form when veins in the anus or lower part of the rectum become swollen

• IBD: Includes Crohn's disease (inflammation of the intestines) and ulcerative colitis (inflammation of the colon)

• Infection: Is usually due to bacterial gastroenteritis, an infection of the stomach and intestines

• Proctitis: Is inflammation of the anus and rectum

• Rectal prolapse: Happens if the rectum protrudes from the anus, typically due to constipation, diarrhea, or chronic coughing

When To Contact a Healthcare Provider

A change in poop color is not always an emergency. Reach out to a healthcare provider if your stool color deviates from brown for longer than a few days.

Seek medical attention right away if you have:

• Black, tar-like poop

• Blood in the stool

• Dizziness or lightheadedness

• Jaundice

• Vomiting blood

A Quick Review

Your poop color can change for a number of reasons. The culprit may be as harmless as food coloring. Changes in stool color can sometimes be a sign of something more serious. Contact a healthcare provider if you're worried about your stool color or if it does not return to brown after a few days.

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