Can tomato stool be red? What does the color of stool tell you? When food and medications are the culprits of black stool

Why is stool black? Possible causes are medicinal, nutritional, functional and due to health problems. All about black feces.

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Normal stool (stool) is tan to brown in color. Sometimes stool can change color, becoming slightly lighter or darker depending on the foods and drinks that were recently eaten, as well as on medications, dietary supplements, and even the speed of passage of the bolus through the intestines. However, there are cases when the color of stool cannot be considered normal. And the black color of the stool is one of these cases.

Causes of black stool

The causes of black stool can be attributed to nutritional, physiological and pathological factors.

Nutritional factor- foods and drinks that can change the color of stool.

Physiological– it includes those conditions that are not considered a disease, but are a consequence of disruption of normal processes in the body, which lead to a change in the color of stool.

Pathological– diseases and conditions that lead to black stool.

It is important to note that black stool, like any other abnormal color or texture of stool, is a clinical symptom of a health problem, not a disease.

If you notice that the stool has become black in color, also pay attention to the shape, inclusions and texture of the stool, as well as the fact that the bowel movement has been disrupted. These findings may be helpful in diagnosing the underlying cause.

Foods that turn stool black

Large amounts of certain foods or drinks can change the color of your stool. This usually occurs within a few hours (up to a maximum of 72) after consuming these foods. This is a temporary phenomenon and the color of the stool will return to normal as soon as the coloring foods leave the intestines naturally. These products include:

• Beet;
• Blueberries or blueberries in large quantities;
• Licorice;
• Raw or undercooked red meat, or other foods with significant amounts of blood, such as blood sausages.
• Some drinks consumed in large quantities can also cause black stool. This may be due, for example, to the abuse of alcoholic beverages containing black dyes, which will give the stool a dark brown to black color.

Blood in the stool

Any blood that passes through the gastrointestinal tract will be colored black. This occurs due to the oxidation of hemoglobin in the blood by gastric juice. Some stomach acid reaches the duodenum, so bleeding that occurs here will cause black, tarry, semi-liquid stools with an unpleasant odor. This type of stool is called melena.

Here are the possible causes of black stool from bleeding:

• Inflammation in the stomach or duodenum (gastritis);
• Erosion or ulcers due to alcohol, smoking, hot spices, infection with H(G)elicobacter pylori.
• Cancer of the stomach or duodenum.
• Varicose veins of the esophagus due to cirrhosis of the liver (more often in alcoholics), or portal hypertension.
• Mallory-Weiss syndrome (rupture of the esophagus, often due to severe vomiting).
• Inflammation of the duodenum (severe forms of celiac disease) (stomach acid can appear in the duodenum and change the color of the blood from red to black).
• Small intestine: Meckel's diverticulum (a birth defect where part of the stomach lining forms in the small intestine as a pouch-like protrusion that produces acid and often bleeds).
• Nose or paranasal sinuses: high blood pressure, tumors, injuries.
• Mouth: tooth extraction, trauma.
• Throat: severe inflammation, bleeding tonsils, throat cancer.
• Lungs, bronchi, trachea: cancer, tuberculosis, less often severe pneumonia.
• Spontaneous bleeding in the intestines due to thrombocytopenia, hemophilia, metastases and sepsis.

There are cases where black stool can be caused by bleeding in the lower digestive tract. If blood remains in the intestines for a long time, for example due to constipation, it has time to clot and therefore comes out in black stool.

Medicines

Various nutritional supplements and pharmaceutical drugs can cause black stools for several reasons. First, some substances in the medicine may be black in color, which will affect the stool by making it appear black.

Another possible reason is that these substances can cause bleeding in the intestines. However, it is not the drugs themselves that cause bleeding, but rather they can aggravate existing problems that lead to gastrointestinal bleeding.

These include the following substances:

• Activated carbon.
• Iron supplements - turn stool black or green (about the causes of green stool in an adult)
• Bismuth salicylate (Pepto-Bismol, an anti-diarrheal drug).
• Medicines that can cause stomach bleeding: aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Vanadium-containing products that are often used by bodybuilders.

Never stop taking your medication because of black stool that appears after you start taking it. But be sure to consult the doctor who prescribed this drug. Black stool may be harmless and will become normal after you stop taking the drug, but it can also be a symptom of a dangerous condition in the body that is life threatening.

Poisons

Toxic substances that enter the body can also cause blackened stools. Both with single poisoning and with repeated exposure to poison;

• Lead;
• Any substance that causes bleeding in the upper digestive tract.

Microbes

Black specks of stool the size of a grain may be a consequence of the accumulation of bacteria, which often appear in the small intestine during dysbacteriosis (dysbiosis). However, these are not always noticeable with a quick glance at the stool and most people probably do not notice them, since examining stool is not common practice.

Other

Although rare, black stool can happen simply due to its reaction with toilet water. Chemicals in stool can react with chemicals in the toilet water and turn black.

Another possible cause of black stool in women, although it is extremely rare - black or bloody discharge from the genitals. Perhaps this is vaginal bleeding - menstrual or intermenstrual. Black vaginal bleeding can occur if blood is retained and has time to clot before it is released. Such discharge can visually change the color of the stool in the toilet.

Black diarrhea

Black diarrhea can be caused by:

• Medications/Supplements: antidiarrheal drug Pepto-Bismol, iron supplements;
• Bleeding from the stomach or upper small intestine during diarrhea.

Important: Black feces are a reason to urgently consult a doctor.. Additional tests may be needed to determine the cause of black stool.

The natural secretions of our body are a litmus test that reflects its condition.

Stool can also tell you about your well-being; its frequency, structure, smell and color determine the condition of the intestines and other organs of the digestive tract. But in order to talk about possible pathological conditions, you need to know what is normal.

What should a healthy person's stool look like?

Normal stool in an adult is a complete bowel movement once a day. It is also considered natural to go to the toilet “in a big way” up to three times a day, provided that the feces meet generally accepted standards. Such frequent bowel movements indicate that a person has very fast metabolic processes. Some people can go to the toilet once every three to three days. This, of course, cannot be considered a normal process, but they cannot be classified as pathological either if there are no other abnormalities (color, shape, smell).

Now about the feces themselves. And so, feces are nothing more than the removal from the body of toxins, digested food, partially the internal contents of the intestines, as well as microorganisms. In a healthy person, stool has a clearly defined structure, a homogeneous dense mass. The normal color of stool is light brown. The amount of feces excreted depends on the food a person eats. On average, about one hundred and fifty to four hundred grams of calla lilies are excreted from the body per day. It is a “sausage” with a length of ten to twenty centimeters. At the same time, defecation itself should not cause discomfort.

If the stool differs from what is described, then this may be symptoms of disturbances in the functioning of the digestive tract or even indicate serious pathological conditions.

Changes in the amount of stool passed

Fluctuations within the normal range can quite naturally arise as a reaction of the body to the foods consumed; the more plant food, the more feces; animal food, the less mass of excreted feces.

But if the deviations differ significantly from the norm, then this may indicate serious violations.

And so, a large amount of feces (polyfecal matter) is a sign of one of the following disorders:

• problems with the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine;
• violation of peristalsis, in which food moves too quickly through the intestines and does not have time to be fully absorbed;
• dysfunction of the pancreas, as a result of which fats and proteins are not properly digested, thus developing chronic pancreatitis;
• lack of bile in the intestines, occurs with cholecystitis, cholelithiasis.

A small amount of feces is usually released when people have a lot of easily digestible food in their diet, a small amount of it, and also when there is constipation. The latter should also cause alarm and be a reason to seek medical help.

Stool color

The normal color of stool in an adult can be light brown or brown. Coloring it in other colors occurs as a result of eating certain foods, as a result of taking certain medications, or with the development of pathological changes in the body.

Human stool can change color during treatment with antibiotics and taking vitamin complexes and activated carbon.

The color of stool also changes when food colorings (natural or artificially synthesized) enter the body. For example, when eating black currants, it is likely that the stool the next day will be black, and beets will be red, carrots and citrus fruits will be yellow, and greens will be green. But, if the change in stool color was not preceded by taking the indicated products, then you need to consult a doctor, since these can be very serious symptoms, even indicating a critical condition of the person.

Red stool can occur when there is bleeding in the lower intestine, while black stool indicates internal bleeding in the stomach or intestines and requires immediate medical attention.

The rapid movement of feces sometimes does not allow the bile to go through all the altered states and turn brown, then the discharge is colored green. It also appears when taking antibiotics. But a particular danger lies in Crohn's disease and celiac disease, which are characterized by green coloration of stool.

Yellow stool most often indicates an infection in the body or problems with the gallbladder, in which there is a lack of bile and a large amount of fat accumulates, which ends up in the stool.

White feces appear when the body experiences a lack of bile, so this color indicates pathology of the bile ducts. It occurs when stones form in them, hepatitis, bacterial infections, pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, as well as cancerous tumors.

But it should be understood that it is impossible to make a diagnosis only by the color of the stool; this requires more in-depth examinations, but changes in their color should alert you and become a reason to check your health.

Shape and smell of stool

In a healthy person, feces are cylindrical or sausage-shaped. It gives off an unpleasant odor, but not foul.

If stool comes out in the form of dense balls or a thin ribbon, then this indicates problems with the large intestine and a lack of fluid in the body, so first of all you should reconsider your drinking regime.

Other stool structures also indicate disturbances. Feces in a mushy state indicate inflammatory processes in the intestines and its increased secretion.

A pasty-like structure is a symptom of disorders in the pancreas, and a putty-like or clayey structure is a sign of inability to absorb fat.

Liquid bowel movements occur when there is insufficient absorption and assimilation of food in the small intestine, and if they are accompanied by frequent bowel movements, then in this case we're talking about already about diarrhea, which can be caused by a huge number of reasons.

A large amount of foam in the stool indicates excessive unnatural fermentation processes in the intestines.

The smell of stool can also tell you a lot. It depends not only on the food that a person ate the day before, but also on the natural processes of fermentation and putrefaction that occur in the intestines. If they are violated, the smell of the waste products removed also changes.

And so, if food remains in the intestines for a long time and is not digested, then it rots and is a favorable environment for bacteria, so the feces in this case have a rotten, unpleasant odor.

During fermentation processes, it is usually sour; for problems with the pancreas, it is foul.

A person suffering from constipation, colitis or stomach problems develops putrefactive dyspepsia and therefore a corresponding smell occurs.

You should also be wary of blood or mucous inclusions in the stool, which are not typical.

Of course, you shouldn’t panic right away; you need to analyze all the symptoms detected, and also remember what food was consumed the day before. If there were no foods that provoke changes in stool in the diet, then you should consult a doctor, who, based on the symptoms and additional examination, will determine the cause and prescribe adequate treatment.

Feces, feces, or feces is a byproduct of digestion. Food mixtures with bile from the liver and digestive enzymes from the pancreas provide the possibility of enzymatic breakdown (digestion) of proteins, carbohydrates and fats of food in suspension. The suspension passes through the small intestine, where nutrients and much of the water are absorbed into the blood. Liquid waste is passed into the large intestine. In the large intestine, some more water is absorbed and feces are formed. Normal stool contains bacteria, undigested food, cellulose from undigested plant products, and bile.

More than 900 ml of fluid - saliva, gastric juice, gallbladder, pancreas and intestinal secretions - enter the gastrointestinal tract every day. About 500-1500 ml of this fluid reaches the large intestine, and only about 150 ml is excreted in the stool (feces). Water and electrolytes are absorbed in both the small and large intestines. The large intestine can only absorb about 300 ml; if the amount of water exceeds this volume, the stool becomes liquid and causes diarrhea. Figure 1 shows the volumes of fluid secreted and absorbed by individual organs of the gastrointestinal tract during the day. There is no single definition of normal stool. There is a whole spectrum of what can be considered normal, and the regularity of bowel movements varies from person to person. There are, however, several signs that the stool is no longer within your personal normal range and should be discussed with your doctor.

Many people believe that normal bowel movement is one bowel movement every day, but this is not true for everyone. There is no rule for the frequency of bowel movements, the general range is from 3 times a day to 3 times a week. Less than 3 bowel movements per week indicates constipation, and more than 3 bowel movements per day and watery stools reflect diarrhea.

Size and shape of stool

For self-orientation about the state of the gastrointestinal tract, English gastroenterologists proposed a scale table of stool (stool) forms - the Bristol scale of stool forms - is a self-diagnostic chart that helps patients characterize their bowel movements without embarrassment or embarrassment. The Bristol Stool Shape Scale is now used throughout the world as a tool for assessing the intestines and digestive system.

Based on the Bristol Stool Shape Scale, normal stool should be soft and easy to pass, although some people may have harder or softer stool than others. The stool should be brown or golden brown in color, formed, have a texture similar to peanut butter, and be similar in size and shape to a sausage. In many cases, if the stool changes slightly from what is described, there is no cause for concern, especially if it is an isolated incident. But if your stool suddenly changes and differs significantly from usual, this is a reason to visit a gastroenterologist.

Macroscopic analysis of stool can be a great help in diagnosing some diseases, but not enough to make definite conclusions about the presence or absence of some kind of digestive disease.

Some changes in the characteristics of feces are common to various diseases: colitis, tumors, benign polyps, hemorrhoids, poor nutrition, functional diseases. This means that the detection of an abnormal indicator in the feces should be considered taking into account the clinical condition of the patient and the final assessment should be made by a doctor who, if necessary, will refer to the appropriate specialists.

Indicators that should be taken into account during macroscopic analysis of stool.

Composition of stool

Feces consist of 75% water and 25% solids. The dry residue of the solid fraction varies greatly and consists of residues (fiber) of undigested cellulose. Fiber is very hygroscopic and it is they that retain water in the stool, which is why a diet low in protein produces soft, large stools, and a diet high in protein and lacking fiber (fiber) causes constipation. 30% of the dry weight of feces is due to bacteria of the intestinal microflora, 15% to inorganic substances (calcium and phosphates), 5% to fats and their derivatives. There are also small amounts of desquamated (desquamated) intestinal lining cells, mucus and digestive enzymes.

Thus, a significant part non-food stool masses and feces are formed even during fasting.

The weight of feces depends significantly on the nature of the diet, and, in particular, on the fiber content in it. With a normal diet, the normal value for the mass of feces excreted in adults is 150-300 g per 24 hours. Higher values ​​may occur with a vegetarian diet.

Stool color

Normal stool color ranges from light brown to dark brown. This is due to the chemical conversion of bilirubin and its metabolite stercobilin into urobilinogen by intestinal bacteria and enzymes. Bile is formed in the liver and released in the intestines, where it is involved in the digestion and absorption of food fats.

Let's look at what color stool can be painted and why.

Green feces

Gives green color to stool biliverdin , a precursor of bilirubin, which comes with bile and during rapid transit through the intestine does not have time to complete its complete metabolism by intestinal microflora. For this reason, diarrhea and laxative use cause stool to be greenish in color.

We find green color in stool when there is a predominance in the diet of leafy vegetables rich in chlorophyll (green plant pigment) - spinach, arugula, parsley, green beans, etc.

Additives containing chlorophyll and antibiotics give stool its green color.

Orange feces

The color of stool is determined by food and some medications. If you have beta-carotene-rich foods in your diet that have yellow-orange hues (carrots, pumpkin, apricots, mangoes, sweet potatoes, etc.), your stool will turn orange. Supplements containing this antioxidant pigment and consumption of rifampicin-based medications have the same effect on stool color.

Gray-white feces

The predominance of rice and other light cereals, potatoes in the diet, and taking antacids (based on aluminum hydroxide) can give the stool a white tint. According to the generally accepted concept, the color of stool is determined by the presence of bilirubin and its metabolites. Fecal hypochromia may reflect a violation of the flow of bile into the intestines (bile duct stones or cancer of the head of the pancreas), diseases of the liver or biliary tract and pancreas, in which there is a decrease in bilirubin content (cirrhosis, hepatitis and liver cancer).

Pale, shiny, and greasy stool is typical for steatorrhea. Steatorrhea is excess fat in the stool caused by intestinal malabsorption. This type of stool is a symptom of celiac disease.

Yellow feces

Yellow stool is a sign of the presence of fat in the stool. Fat in the stool may be associated with a disease of the pancreas (chronic pancreatitis) and a deficiency of the enzyme lipase, which breaks down fats. Fatty stool is yellowish with a strong unpleasant odor.

Red feces

Red stool is a warning to the patient that he is bleeding.

However, red foods (tomato juice and tomatoes, red fruits and beets) can give stool its characteristic color. However, red stool is an alarming symptom of some kind of intestinal bleeding. The following options are possible.

Streaks of bright red blood that surrounds the stool and does not mix with the stool indicate bleeding from the rectum in the anal area (such blood is visible on toilet paper). The causes may be: hemorrhoids or anal fissures, but a malignant tumor in the last section of the intestine cannot be ruled out.

If the color of the blood is dark red and the blood is mixed with the stool, then this is an indicator of bleeding at the level of the large intestine. This kind of bleeding is observed with polyps, cancer, diverticulitis, inflammatory and vascular diseases.

Gray and black feces

Dark gray stool may indicate the presence of metals such as iron (for example, with excessive consumption of chocolate and/or meat) or bismuth. Tarry black stool indicates the presence of partially digested blood (melena), which appears in the stool during bleeding from the upper digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, duodenum). Even minor bleeding from the small intestine and cecum of the large intestine can give the stool a blackish color.

If the stool is black, you must remember that activated carbon, licorice, blueberries and black olives, red beets, red and black grapes, red wine, etc. can turn the stool blackish and black. Unlike melena, such feces do not have a fetid, nauseating odor.

Constipation is usually associated with dark stool due to longer residence time in the colon, and diarrhea is associated with light-colored stool.

Stool smell

The smell of excrement is associated with the rotting of proteins and the metabolism of amino acids that are not absorbed in the small intestine by bacteria in the large intestine. As a result of the action of intestinal bacteria, indole, skatole, putrescine, cadaverine, etc. are formed, which give an unpleasant odor to feces.

Malabsorption occurs in celiac disease, pancreatic insufficiency, intestinal infections, inflammatory bowel diseases, liver and biliary tract diseases, etc. In some diseases, the digestion of especially sugars and starch is impaired, which reach the colon and are fermented by local flora with the formation of gases.

The smell of feces is definitely related to food and the health of our intestines. A balanced diet, eating small portions and taking care to avoid simultaneous intake of carbohydrates and proteins ("dissociated diet"), helps regulate digestion. It reduces bloating and flatulence and the stool retains its "distinctive" smell.

Mucus in stool e

Mucus in the stool is not always a pathological phenomenon. Mucus is secreted by the large intestine, and its function is to lubricate the stool, making it easier to slide through the anus. The color of the mucus is whitish or yellowish-white, and the consistency is similar to gelatin.

An increase in the presence of mucus in the stool is an indicator of pathological conditions such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and bacterial colitis. In these cases, the mucus is accompanied by diarrhea and often bleeding. Increased mucus may be found in irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, allergies or food intolerances, and changes in the intestinal bacterial flora as a result of poor eating habits.

Excess mucus is present with polyps (especially the hairy type) and with tumors of the colon. In the latter case, the mucus is bright and/or mixed with traces of blood.

"Floating" feces

This phenomenon occurs when there is a fair amount of gas and fat inside the stool, the fat makes the gas less dense and the stool sticks to the walls of the toilet. This feature of feces is characteristic of diarrhea and in general for all situations with malabsorption, fermentation and gas formation in the intestines.

Many people are embarrassed to talk about such a delicate topic as stool color, even at a doctor’s appointment. But false modesty often leads to serious health problems. For example, yellow feces in adults often indicate problems with the body. If this symptom persists for a long time, it is recommended to consult a doctor and undergo a full medical examination.

Healthy human feces

The color of stool directly depends on the state of the gastrointestinal tract. Often people do not pay attention to the metamorphosis of feces and have no idea what kind of stool they have. But a change in its color or consistency can tell a lot. Therefore, it is very important to recognize the pathology in time and take measures to eliminate it.

Interesting. The color of the stool depends on stercobilin (bile pigment), which is the end product of the breakdown of the non-protein part of hemoglobin. Therefore, feces of various shades of brown are considered healthy.

True, the color of feces may change slightly. Depending on the diet, medications taken and lifestyle, there are:

1. Dark brown chair. This color is considered to be the norm for an adult. He talks about proper nutrition and good functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Brown stools with a yellowish tint appear with a lactic acid diet.
3. Light brown feces It is characteristic of a vegetarian diet and is not considered a pathology.
4. is formed when eating a large amount of meat products.

These categories of stool are characteristic of a healthy person. If the stool turns yellow and this is not a one-time occurrence, you should consult a doctor. The cause of such changes may be a pathological condition of the body, which can only be identified after a series of diagnostic measures.

Yellow feces as a symptom of the disease

There is nothing wrong with your stool changing color from time to time. But if this happens unexpectedly and is not explained by food addictions, you should be wary. Since several organs are involved in the process of staining feces - the pancreas, liver and gallbladder, a visible change in the shade of feces most likely indicates a malfunction in one of them.

Below we will look at diseases that are characterized by the appearance of yellow stool, find out what this means and how dangerous the situation is.

Pathologies of the pancreas

It has been proven that deterioration of the pancreas leads to changes in stool color. Cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis, blocked ducts, or cancer can cause yellow stool. This is explained by a decrease in the production of digestive enzymes necessary for the absorption of food, in particular fats.

The pancreas is involved in the regulation of fat metabolism

Attention. It is unprocessed fats that give stool a light yellow color and a pasty consistency. The composition of feces also changes.

In addition, digestive enzymes are involved in the overall process of food processing. Therefore, the appearance of yellow stool indicates a deterioration in digestion and absorption of nutrients in general.

Pathologies of the liver and gallbladder

The amount of stercobilinogen in feces decreases during inflammatory processes in the bile ducts, which entails a change in the color of the stool. If the bile ducts are completely blocked by a stone or tumor, the coloring pigment may completely disappear. In this case, the chair will acquire a light sandy or clayey tint.

Other, more obvious symptoms indicate problems with bile secretion:

• yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes;
• hepatic colic;
• itching of the skin.

For reference. are formed due to irregular eating or frequent dieting. For normal bile secretion, the organ must contract systematically, and this occurs only during meals.

In addition, hepatitis or cirrhosis of the liver can cause yellow stool in adults. With these diseases, the production of bile acids and salts, which are involved in the digestive process, decreases. A decrease in the amount of bile causes not only a change in the color of the stool, but also severe pain in the right hypochondrium. In this case, the urine acquires a rich dark color, reminiscent of tea or beer.

The liver plays an essential role in the digestion process

If symptoms of liver or gallbladder damage appear, it is advisable to visit a doctor as soon as possible. This will help avoid further development of the disease and complications.

Crohn's disease

Deep yellow stool can cause Crohn's disease. The pathology is characterized by dysfunction of the entire digestive system. As a result, food is not processed properly, and fats leave the gastrointestinal tract almost unchanged.

Other causes of yellow stool in adults

Yellow stools can be caused not only by the pathologies described above, but also by the most harmless reasons. For example, frequent consumption of milk and products made from it will sooner or later lead to a change in the color of feces.

Fermentation processes in the intestines will also affect the color of stool. In this case, yellow feces in adults are accompanied by the following digestive problems:

• nausea and vomiting;
• unpleasant smell of stool;

Attention. Often, yellow stool appears when taking medications that cause dysbacteriosis. Especially often, the color of stool changes due to the use of antibacterial drugs in excessive doses or without a doctor’s prescription.

A sudden change in food intake or an unbalanced diet also leads to the formation of light yellow stool. Breaking the table is a kind of stressful situation for the body, which does not slow down to affect the functioning of the entire digestive tract.

A dairy diet can cause yellow stool

Ordinary emotional stress or prolonged depression can also cause a change in stool color, often leading to a deterioration in food processing. In addition, the cause of such metamorphoses is often banal poisoning. In this case, yellowing of the stool is accompanied by diarrhea and fever.

As you can see, a change in stool color is not always the result of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, you should not diagnose yourself and self-medicate. At best, this will not give any results, and at worst, it will cause an exacerbation of existing pathologies.

What to do if the stool turns yellow?

If the stool suddenly changes its usual color and turns yellow, you should not be scared or panic. Perhaps the reason was the diet of the previous days. An abundance of dairy or fatty foods makes the stool in adults yellow and bubbly. By changing your diet, you can quickly bring the color of your feces back to normal.

The same should be done if the stool turns yellow while taking medication. After stopping medications that negatively affect digestion and liver function, the stool will quickly become normal in color.

In recommended doses, these drugs most often do not have any noticeable effect on the color of stool. Excessive dosage or prolonged use adversely affects the liver and leads to yellow stools.

If, after taking measures, feces do not return to normal for more than two days and the change in color is accompanied by additional symptoms, you should visit a doctor. Only a doctor, after carrying out diagnostic measures, can say why an adult’s stool turned light yellow.

In order to find out whether staining stool black is dangerous, it is necessary to find out the cause of this phenomenon. If black stool is caused by physiological reasons, then this condition is not dangerous. And if black feces appear, the cause of which is a pathological condition, then this can pose a potential danger to human health and life. Thus, we can conditionally say that physiological staining of stool black is not dangerous, but pathological staining is very dangerous.

The reasons for the physiological coloration of stool in black are the consumption of a number of foods or the use of certain medications. In this case, black feces appear after consuming these foods or medications. After eliminating this type of food from the menu or stopping taking medications, the stool becomes its usual brown color. At the same time, the person’s well-being does not deteriorate. This physiological appearance of black stool is not an indication for eliminating foods from the diet or discontinuing medications. You just need to keep this in mind and not panic. Foods and medications that can turn stool black are shown in the table.

Variants of dangerous staining of stool black

Such bleeding provokes the appearance of black, tarry stools, which is a sign of a dangerous pathological condition. In addition to black stools, severe bleeding is accompanied by deterioration of health, weakness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, fainting, drop in blood pressure, etc. In this case, it is necessary to urgently seek medical help, since this condition can be fatal. Mild bleeding from the digestive tract is not accompanied by deterioration in well-being. In this case, as a rule, black feces can be excreted within 2–4 days against the background of normal and not worsening health. In such a situation, you can contact the clinic so that the doctor can give the necessary recommendations. This type of bleeding is not dangerous, and, as a rule, goes away on its own in the vast majority of cases.

The causes of bleeding from the upper part of the digestive tract are various diseases or traumatic injuries to the mucous membranes of the stomach, esophagus or duodenum, such as:

• Injury to the mucous membrane of the stomach or esophagus from prickly or sharp food particles or foreign bodies (for example, fish bones, fruit seeds, sharp pieces of crackers);


• Varicose veins of the esophagus;


• Neoplasms of the esophagus and stomach;