• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

THE BRIGHTEST HUB FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  • Home
  • Health
  • Medicine
  • Alternative Medicine
  • Diet and Nutrition

Causes of Green Stool

April 7, 2010 by rfcamat Leave a Comment


Stool comes with different colors (brown, green, red, yellow, orange etc.) with brown as the considered normal color. People are curious and even alarmed if they saw that their stool is not brown. For example, people who have bright red blood in their stool fear that they may have rectal bleeding and other gastrointestinal diseases. Some people are also alarmed (or just curious) if they saw that their poop is green. However, having a green stool should not be a cause of fear because it is not an uncommon condition. People regularly excrete green stool depending on the passage of bile in their intestines and the food they are eating. Continue reading to learn the causes of green stool.

[ad#co-1]

Bile, a bright green fluid, is constantly secreted by the liver towards the small intestine or temporarily stored in the gallbladder. Bile is needed for the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. It also makes the stool soft and gives stool its characteristic color.

Bile changes color from green to brown as it travels down from the small intestine to the large intestine .The color change is due to bacterial actions in the large intestine. Bile mixed with undigested food travels slowly in the large intestine giving bacteria enough time to act on bile. Bacteria then perform chemical changes to bile changing its green color to brown. However, if stool travels in the large intestine faster than normal, bile cannot be transformed chemically retaining its green color. If a person has a diarrhea, his poop could be green because it traveled so fast in the intestines.

Another cause of green stool is eating green foods such as algae, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, kale, Swiss chard, and among others. These leafy vegetables contain the green pigment chlorophyll that can turn the color of stool to green. Eating foods with green food coloring can also make stool green.

Taking iron supplements or eating foods high in iron could also cause green stool.

If you cannot think of any reason why your stool is green, you are always free to consult your doctor.[ad#afterpost]

Filed Under: Medicine

READ MORE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Raymund is a biologist by profession but with wide interest on nutrition and healthy living. He is currently a health and wellness writer in an American online publication. Blogging is one of his favorite hobbies.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

RECENT ARTICLES

  • Why Do I Feel Tired After Eating?
  • Adverse Effects of Artificial Food Coloring on Children
  • List of Flowers You Can Eat and Their Health Benefits
  • Tips on How to Boost Your Metabolism
  • Best Workout Music for the iPod
  • What is the average bench press for a man?
  • Top 5 Healthiest Types of Cooking Oil
  • The Best Exercises for an Apple Body Shape
  • Beyonce’s Workout Secrets for a Sexy Physique
  • How Healthy Can Kimchi Be?

TOPICS

  • Allergies (5)
  • Alternative Medicine (22)
  • Biology (28)
  • Chemistry (1)
  • Diet and Nutrition (9)
  • Environmental Science (8)
  • Genetics (19)
  • Health (126)
  • Laboratory Tests (5)
  • Medicine (71)
  • Physical Fitness (1)
  • Science and Technology (1)
  • Transferred post (59)
  • Uncategorized (3)

Footer

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

The contents of the TheBrightestHub.com Site, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the TheBrightestHub.com Site (“Content”) are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the TheBrightestHub.com Site.

Copyright © 2022 · Genesis Sample on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

7ads6x98y