Stool color can change daily. The color of your stool usually changes based on your diet, as well as by the amount of bile in your stool, according to MayoClinic.com gastroenterologist Dr. Michael F. Picco. However, yellow stool, also known as pale stool, is usually more indicative of a condition than of your diet. Because of this, visit your doctor if your stool turns yellow.
Yellow Stool and Diet
Consuming large amounts of food coloring is the only sudden dietary change that can cause yellow stool, claims the Colon Cleansing and Constipation Resource Center. However, a few dietary conditions that cause your body not to absorb nutrients properly can cause yellow stool, including celiac disease, malabsorption of nutrients and sprue, a disease of digestive tract.
Health Conditions with Yellow Stool
Normally, food does not cause yellow stool, but a more serious condition, often one that lowers the amount of bile production. These include obstruction of the bile duct, biliary cirrhosis, cancer or benign tumors, gallstones, alcoholic or viral hepatitis, bile duct cysts, bile duct narrowing or sclerosing cholangitis. Cholecystitis, the giardia parasite and jaundice are additional possible causes. Further, medications like bismuth subsalicylate and other drugs for diarrhea can cause yellow stools. Talk to your doctor to determine if a health condition or medication might affect the color of your stools.
Stool Color and Dietary Changes
Yellow stools are the exception, but color can change based on what you eat. For instance, green leafy vegetables, iron supplements and green food coloring can cause green stools; iron and black licorice can result in black stools; and red food coloring or beets can cause red stools.
Babies
Although unusual for adults, it is normal for breast-feeding babies to have yellow stool at some point in their development. After one to two days of breast-feeding, a baby will have mustard-colored stools. The baby will have about two to three yellow stools each day during the first month, and then the amount decreases to one per day or less after that. Babies who drink formula tend to have light brown, yellow, green or tan colors.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Stool Color: When to Worry; Dr. Michael F. Picco; May 13, 2010
- Colon Cleansing and Constipation Resource Center; Yellow Stool; Apr. 27, 2009
- MedlinePlus: Stools -- Pale or Clay-Colored
- AskDrSears.com: Getting Enough Milk? How to Tell
- MayoClinic.com; Baby Poop -- What's Normal?; Dr. Jay L. Hoecker; Feb. 2, 2010
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