It may not be your favorite routine health task, but you need to at least glance at your stool. Changes in diet and possible medical conditions can be indicated by the color of your stool. Often, it is nothing to worry about. For example, Christmas-colored stool, green and red, can result from lime gelatin, drinks and Popsicles containing green food coloring, or from consuming beets and drinks dyed with red food coloring. Pale stool, however, may signal something serious.
Benign Conditions
Taking large amounts of anti-diarrheal medications, such as those containing bismuth subsalicylate, can lighten stool and turn it the color of clay. Antacids, certain antibiotics and anti-fungal drugs, and the barium used in barium X-rays sometimes result temporarily in white-colored stool. Flecks of white in stool may indicate undigested rice or seeds.
Biliary System Problems
The biliary system controls the drainage of the gallbladder, liver and pancreas. It is normal bile salts from the liver that give stool the brown color indicating health. Pale, clay or putty-colored stools are usually the result of problems or blockages of bile in the liver, or you may have an infection. If you have yellow, jaundiced skin along with the pale stools, this is a clear signal of a build-up of bile in the body due to blockage.
Unabsorbed Fats
Obstructions of the biliary system or the absence of fat-digesting enzymes in the pancreas often prevent fat absorption in the small intestine. The colon becomes irritated by these unprocessed fats, resulting in white diarrhea or pale stools that are quite malodorous. This color change may arise after eating a heavy, fatty meal, but it can also be attributed to acute or chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer or an abundance of candida in the lower intestine.
Dietary Causes
Inflammatory diseases of the small intestine, such as Crohn's disease or celiac disease, may cause pale or light-colored stool. Celiac disease sufferers follow a gluten-free diet, eliminating foods that contain wheat, rye and barley, as well as most processed foods. Those with Crohn's disease need not follow a special diet, but since patients often experience a poor appetite and loose stools, they may not feel up to eating properly on a regular basis. A nutritious diet helps, as does avoiding foods that exacerbate or trigger Crohn's symptoms.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Stool Color: When to Worry
- Medline Plus: Stools-Pale or Clay-Colored
- Mayo Clinic: White Stool: Should I Be Concerned
- Health Hype.com: Pale, Gray, or Clay-Colored Bowel Movement and White Diarrhea
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearing House: Celiac Disease
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Crohn's Disease
