The average, healthy person poos anywhere between three times a day to three times a week. It is a necessary bodily function to help get rid of any undigested food and other waste products.
While this waste can appear different in colour and consistency for harmless reasons such as a change in diet, it can also signal something more serious. Therefore, a health expert advised checking your excrement before flushing.
Gut health expert Michelle Geraghty-Corns, from Eternalbeing, also warned of specific colours of your poo that could signal a serious health issue.
Speaking to Express.co.uk , she said: “According to research, a third of Brits are embarrassed to talk about their digestive health symptoms and almost two-thirds would like more support to help understand their gut health.”
In a bid to raise awareness of problems that appear in stools, Eternalbeing has created a poo palette to indicate when you need to see a doctor.
“Our poo colour palette aims to raise awareness of what the colour of your poo may be saying about your gut health and to educate on what poo colours might be the most concerning,” Michelle said.
According to the palette, poo that is green, yellow, black, red, white or silver could be cause for alarm.
Green
Green poo could be from green or blue foods like broccoli or blueberries, Michelle said.
She explained: “It could be a sign of a bacterial infection where you may feel unwell with diarrhoea.
“Medications like antibiotics, contraceptives, and iron supplements can cause green poo.”
Yellow
Yellow foods like turmeric can cause your poo to appear yellow.
“Yellow stools could also be a sign of coeliac disease or Crohn’s disease,” she added.
“If you eat foods which contain protein such as wheat, barley and rye, your intestines will not work properly.”
Black
Michelle said: “Black stools may be due to iron, eating dark leafy greens, or activated charcoal supplements.
“It could also be a sign of bowel cancer, indicating dried or old blood from an upper part of the gut. If you experience dark poo it is important to see a doctor.”
Red
Red poo often means there is blood in your stools, which can be due to excessive force
during stool movements or haemorrhoids.
“Blood in your stools could also indicate bowel cancer, particularly if coupled with a fever, excessive weakness, or vomiting,” Michelle said.
White
White poo is often due to medicine such as tablets for diarrhoea which turn it paler.
She said: “Pale poo can also be a sign of a lack of bile in your stool. If you haven’t changed your medication, you should see a doctor as it could be a sign of liver disease.”
Silver
She added: “Silver poo is produced when black tarry stools and grey stools containing fat combine, which is caused by malabsorption.
“If you experience silver poo, discuss this with your doctor to rule out any serious health conditions.”
