Did you know that your stools can tell a lot about the health of your body? Their color, texture, frequency and shape are very revealing signs of the state of your body and the quality of its functioning. In addition, stools can even provide serious clues about diseases that may affect you, such as infections, digestive problems and even cancer. Find out in this article what color, shape and frequency your stool can indicate on your condition.
Although stools, even normal stools, may be of different colors, textures and shapes, you will all ask what are the reasons that make certain cases special features and exceptions that require urgent medical advice. It is for this reason that we decided today to explain to you and talk about the normal stools and the abnormal stools.
Here's all you need to know about your stool and your health
Each human being produces on average about five tons of stools during his lifetime. Its stools are composed of 75% water and 25% dry matter that contain bacteria, non-digestible fibers and all the waste that must be evacuated. On average, food consumed and ingested takes one to three days in the digestive tract before being discharged into the stool.
To help you know if your stool is normal or not, here are the different colors, shapes and frequencies of the stool and what they reveal about your health.
1. Frequency
It is usually defined by the eating habits and daily activities of the person. In case you have intestinal movements less than once a day, you should know that this can harm your health because your body does not eliminate waste and accumulated toxins. On the other hand, if you have stools more than 3 times a day, you probably have diarrhea. The best thing is to have one to two bowel movements a day.
2. The form
There are seven types of stools according to the Bristol scale:
- Small hard and detached droppings: They look like hazelnuts and are sometimes painful and difficult to evacuate. This type is very common in people who do not consume foods high in fiber. We advise you to drink plenty of water and eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Stools in the form of hard and lumpy sausages: These stools remain in the colon for more than 3 days and the people who produce them are more likely to suffer from irritable bowel syndrome because of the continuous stool pressure on the intestinal walls .
- Saddles in the form of sausage, but with cracks on the surface: They have the same characteristics of the saddles of type 2 but the time of transit and evacuation is a little faster.
- Smooth and soft stools that resemble a sausage or snake: This is the type of stool that can be perfect and it is present in people who defecate once a day.
- Stools in the form of soft pieces with sharp edges: These stools are considered normal and they are very present in the people who defecate 2 or 3 times a day.
- Saddles in the form of fluffy, tattered pieces: If you do not have immediate access to the bathroom, it would be very difficult to control an urge or an urgency to defecate. Among those who may encounter this problem, there are those who go through stressful moments or those who use a lot of spices.
- Watery stools: It is a diarrhea and it contains no solid piece. This type of stool is a sign that your body is sending you to tell you that it is trying to protect itself and get rid of everything as quickly as possible. Abdominal pain and cramps, fatigue, fever and vomiting may accompany this type of stool.
3. Color
The normal stools are brown. However, if you notice that your stools turn green, it can be the result of a bacterial infection or food poisoning. If they are yellow, this is a sign of food intolerance. Black stools are generally a sign of iron supplementation but may in some cases indicate the presence of blood from the stomach, indicating a tumor or gastric or intestinal ulcer.