What’s the Color of Your Crap, And What Does It Say About Your Health?

Not that you have to stare at it in your free time or anything, but your poo says a lot about you. It sheds light on your diet, lifestyle, and general state of health…despite coming from a place where the sun doesn’t shine.

Color, odor, consistency, and texture can speak volumes about the state of your innards. Here’s how to correctly read the log entry.

The Crap Color Wheel

Stool is usually brown in color, with normal variations from tan to a dark brown. A substance called bilirubin, which is excreted in the bile, gives your tae its typical shade. “If change in stool color is not persistent, this is generally not a cause for concern,” says Jeffrey Libuit, M.D., an internist at the Philippine General Hospital. What if it’s not? Check out our chart below.

All the Feels

We’re not asking you to reach down the inidoro to fondle your stools lovingly, but you can spot any key differences in texture when you take a look at what you just ejected. Libuit and other gastroenterologists use the Bristol stool scale to classify the form and consistency of human feces, which usually reflect the time it stays in the colon, and the type of food we eat.

Types 1 and 2 are usually seen in constipated individuals, indicating a longer stool transit time. These may be caused by inadequate fluid intake, narcotics, iron supplements, or fiber supplements with insufficient fluid intake.

Types 3 and 4 are normal stool—easy-to-pass sausages that could be smooth or slightly cracked.

Types 5, 6, and 7 are usually seen in people with diarrhea. “Diarrhea can be caused by any number of factors,” says Bernard Aserkoff, M.D., of the GI Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, “but the problem with diarrhea, in addition to the obvious, is that it can cause other health problems like dehydration.”