Stools should be brown, have a peanut-butter texture, and look like a sausage. If your stool has an abnormal color or consistency, it may be due to something you ate or an underlying medical condition in need of investigation by a healthcare provider.
It's a symptom of fat malabsorption. That means your digestive system is having trouble breaking down and absorbing fats. This problem could affect one or several of your organs.
Stools that are pale, clay, or putty-colored may be due to problems in the biliary system. The biliary system is the drainage system of the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas. Food passes from the stomach into the small intestine. In the small intestine all nutrient absorption occurs.
All shades of brown and even green are considered normal. Only rarely does stool color indicate a potentially serious intestinal condition. Stool color is generally influenced by what you eat as well as by the amount of bile — a yellow-green fluid that digests fats — in your stool.
When the stool is very pale, it often means that not enough bile is reaching the stool. Stools may contain low bile levels if there is a problem with the gallbladder, pancreas, or liver. People with consistently pale stools may want to talk with a doctor about conditions that affect these organs.
Light-Colored Poop
If your poop is light-colored, yellow, clay-colored, or very light brown, this may be a sign of: An infection or inflammation (swelling) in your gallbladder, liver, or pancreas. Alcoholic hepatitis, which is inflammation in your liver caused by alcohol consumption.
Pale stools could be a sign of liver damage, as pale, clay, beige or sand coloured stool may be a sign that your body, most notably your liver is not producing enough bile, or it may not be draining bile properly. Bile makes up part of the colouring of your stool.
Abnormal poop
excessive straining when pooping. poop that is red, black, green, yellow, or white. greasy, fatty stools.
Carrots, sweet potatoes, turmeric, and foods that contain yellow food coloring may cause stool to become yellow. A diet high in fat or gluten can also lead to yellow stool. If a person regularly has yellow stools, they should try avoiding fatty, processed foods, gluten, or anything that causes an upset stomach.
The only colors that may relate to disease are red, black and white. All other colors are not due to a medical problem. Normal stools are not always dark brown. Sometimes they are light brown, tan or yellow.
An occasional clay-colored stool isn't usually a concern. However, if pale stools persist, it can point to a problem with bile ducts or another underlying medical condition. It's essential to see a healthcare provider, especially if you have any other concerning symptoms, like jaundice or pain.
Fatty liver disease: If you notice dark urine and pale poo, seek urgent medical attention.
Light-colored or greasy stools: Bilirubin normally helps give stools their brown color. If the bile duct is blocked, stools might be light-colored or gray. Also, if bile and pancreatic enzymes can't get through to the intestines to help break down fats, the stools can become greasy and might float in the toilet.
Healthy formula fed baby poop is typically a shade of yellow or brown with a pasty consistency that is peanut butter like. Formula-fed babies also pass fewer, but bigger and more odorous stools than breastfed babies.
If your stool is not normal-colored (light or dark brown), it means you have some gut issue, whether it's just food that didn't sit right, food poisoning, or a virus. But sometimes it can be a sign of bleeding (red/black stool), or a liver or gallbladder issue (very pale stool), so don't ignore a discoloration.
Change in shape
Thin stools are a sign of colon cancer. Any time you notice a narrow or ribbon-like stool, it indicates changes in your colon.
If a tumor blocks the pancreatic duct, insufficient pancreatic juices in the intestines can lead to poor absorption and diarrhea, as the undigested food passes quickly through the digestive tract. If this happens, stool may float due to the higher fat content, appear bulky, greasy, and unusually pale.
If your liver doesn't make bile normally or if the flow from the liver is blocked, your poop will look pale like the color of clay. Pale poop often happens along with yellow skin (jaundice). The extra bilirubin that makes your skin look yellow also can make your pee unusually dark.
Common causes include from foods – especially if something was spoiled or tainted – but GI viruses, food allergies and medication side-effects can also cause them. Some chronic conditions like Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome can also lead to ongoing diarrhea.
Take a look at the types below and the difference in each IBS stool colour: IBS-C (IBS with constipation) – likely to have a darker brown stool colour. IBS-D (IBS with diarrhoea) – likely to have a yellow stool colour. IBS-M (mixed – alternates between constipation and diarrhoea)
A person should also see a doctor if their symptoms get progressively worse, stools are pale, bulky, very offensive smelling and difficult to flush away (this may indicate a problem with absorbing fat), or if they are concerned about their symptoms.