The average person poos anywhere between three times a day to three times a week. It is a necessary bodily function to help expel any undigested food and other waste products.
While it may not seem that important, the colour and consistency of our poo can actually tell us a lot about our health. Sometimes any changes in the appearance of our poo can be due to harmless reasons such as diet.
However, in other cases it can signal something more sinister. For this reason a GP has recommended looking at your poo every time you go to the toilet.
This can alert you to any potential problems and could “save lives”.
Speaking exclusively with Express.co.uk , Doctor Chun Tang from Pall Mall Medical, explained: “Checking your poo stool can reveal important health insights. It’s a simple habit that can help save lives.”
One of the most deadly conditions this could help you spot is bowel cancer.
“Each year, almost 17,000 people in the UK die from bowel cancer, which is the nation’s second biggest cancer killer,” Dr Tang said.
A tell-tale sign of this is blood in your poo. This could make the stool appear red or even black.
He continued: “The three main symptoms of bowel cancer are blood in stools, changes in bowel habits – such as more frequent, looser stools, and constant or intermittent pain in your tummy.
But these signs don’t necessarily mean you have bowel cancer as they are associated with several other conditions.
Dr Tang said: “The problem is that these symptoms are common symptoms of many other less serious health problems, such as IBS, piles and food intolerances.
“Most people with them do not have bowel cancer, so there’s no need to jump to conclusions and assume it’s something sinister.
“However, it is important to be proactive with diseases like this, and if symptoms persist contact a healthcare professional.
“If caught early, sufferers of bowel cancer stand a good chance of recovery – providing they know what signs and symptoms to look out for and are aware of the straightforward tests that are available.”
According to the NHS, other signs of bowel cancer can include:
- Bleeding from your bottom
- Often feeling like you need to poo, even if you’ve just been to the toilet
- A lump in your tummy
- Bloating
- Losing weight without trying
- Feeling very tired for no reason.
Dr Tang added: “If you’ve noticed a change in toilet habits, or you feel something isn’t quite right, don’t hold it in.
“If any of these symptoms are persistent, and don’t pass after a couple of weeks, it would be wise not to dismiss them and have them checked out.”
The NHS says you should book an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if your poo is black or dark red or you have bloody diarrhoea.
You should call 999 if you’re bleeding non-stop from your bottom or there’s a lot of blood, for example, the toilet water turns red or you see large blood clots.
It’s not always known what causes bowel cancer but you can be at greater risk of the disease if:
You may be more likely to get bowel cancer if:
- You’re over 50
- You smoke
- You’re overweight
- A close relative has had bowel cancer
- You have inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
- You have small growths in your bowel called bowel polyps
- You have Lynch Syndrome or familial adenomatous polyposis.
