Video:What the Color of Your Stool Could Mean
with Dr. Robert LahitaStool color can reflect what you've eaten, medication you've taken, or something more dangerous. Learn about what your stool color could mean in this health video from About.com.See Transcript
Transcript:What the Color of Your Stool Could Mean
Hi I'm Dr. Bob Lahita, Chairman of Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. What does your stool color mean?
What the Color of Your Stool Could Mean
Well, the stool color can be quite significant. Usually the normal stool color is brown, but you can have black stools, you can have white stools, and you can have stools of all varieties of color, such as: dark red, bright red, green.
Oftentimes the stool color reflects what you've eaten. If you happen to be a person who likes to eat a lot of beets, you may not only have red stools, but you may have red urine. If you're on antibiotics or you are taking some kind of herbal remedy, your stool may have a silvery sheen to it, or it may be a greenish purple.
White, Black, and Red Stools
Red stools are worrisome because it indicates blood. Dark, black stools are the most worrisome because it indicates a bleed from deep inside. And white stools can also be worrisome because they're seen when the bile ducts are occluded, such as with gall bladder disease, hepatitis or some forms of cancer. So in all instances, pay attention to your stools- it tells a lot to you and to your physician.
For more information about this, go to About.com.
