Stool - what does its consistency, colour or smell indicate?

Stool is a term that refers to faeces, the product of digestion. It contains indigestible food debris, dead intestinal bacteria, fatty substances, dead cells. These solid parts make up approximately 25% of the stool.

The largest part of the stool is water, at 75%.

Professionally, in medicine, faeces is referred to as faeces. We also know the term faeces or faeces and various other vernacular names. Defecation is the process by which faeces is expelled from the body. It is also referred to as defecation.

The characteristics of stool and defecation are determined by the type of food, the amount of fluid ingested, and of course, digestion or disease affects it. Stool has its color, consistency, and odor. In defecation, the frequency or regularity is determined. These and other information can reveal that something is wrong.

What influences stool characteristics and defecation in the table

Interesting information about the intestinal microflora:
The intestinal system accounts for 70-80% of a person's overall immunity.
The intestinal microflora has tens of trillions of microorganisms and approximately 1000 species of bacteria.
Of these, about 40 species are necessary for life.
The weight of the intestinal microflora is approximately 1 kilogram.

How often does stool emptying occur?

Information about the frequency of defecation is also important. It is considered normal if defecation occurs about 1-2 times every one or two days. But for some people it is 2-3 times a week. Regularity is also important.

Men have stools more often.

A change in frequency can be a sign that something is wrong. For example, a person who defecates twice a day but suddenly has a bowel movement once a week may be constipated. Of course, other associated symptoms such as abdominal pain or pain when defecating should also be noted.

The table shows the change in frequency of bowel movements

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Defecation occurs reflexively, and we can influence it with our will. The inability to control the passage of stool, gas, and even urine is referred to as incontinence. Flatulence is also an important term we encounter during digestion, and is the term for increased gas production in the intestines. The professional term is flatulence or flatulence.

The frequency of defecation is greatly influenced by dietary and fluid intake. Stool is made up of food residues, and adequate fibre intake is important for proper digestion and excretion of stool.

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The same is true for water. It makes up to 70% of the stool. So dehydration will significantly affect what the stool looks like and how often defecation occurs. In the elderly and immobile, dehydrated people, defecation or constipation is a very common problem.

What to look for in a stool?

If we are healthy, we don't even notice it. However, checking it regularly is important. It can inform us that something is wrong, even before other symptoms appear. Different problems can mean a change in the consistency, colour or smell of the stool.

The consistency of the stool can be affected by diet if it is low in residue and does not contain enough fibre. A different colour of stool can be caused by diet. This is the case with blueberries, beetroot and other foods that are high in colouring agents.

If your doctor recommends taking iron, don't be alarmed. Increased iron intake tends to turn stools dark to black. Black stools, of course, can indicate melena, which is the presence of digested blood. Pale stools, on the other hand, occur in liver and gallbladder disease.

Normal stools

A normal stool is considered to be one that has an optimal consistency, color and slight odor. The consistency is firm in the shape of a cylinder, sausage, snake or toothpaste. It is smooth or slightly wavy or indented. Its color is light brown, brown.

The characteristic colour of the stool is bile. Without bile the stool would be pale to white. The smell of the stool should be mild, not intense or strong. Normal stool is not particularly sticky. The information about its sinking in water is also interesting.

In water it sinks slowly, not too quickly, and should not float on water. The approximate time for stool to form is 18 to 72 hours. High-fiber foods form stool more quickly, whereas meat forms stool more slowly. People who eat more vegetables and fruits defecate more often.

Self-examination of stool

If a person doesn't have any problems, he or she doesn't even need to keep track of anything. However, it's best to look at what we produce at least occasionally. Why? Because stool indicates whether our body is okay. And not just the digestive tract.

When we evaluate stool, we observe:

• Consistency
• size, quantity
• colour
• smell

Scientists at Bristol Royal Infirmary have developed a method for assessing the characteristics of stool. It is known as the Bristol Stool Chart (BSF) and is divided into 7 types.

Stool odour

Of course, stool does not have a pleasant smell. But its smell should be mild, not intense, sour or distinctly putrid. Rotten smell is present in stools and winds, for example, in lactose intolerance. Diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and all this after the intake of milk and dairy products can be associated.

Overgrowth of intestinal microflora, dangerous bacteria, but also parasites are responsible for the unpleasant smell. Other causes of the change in odor can include blood in the stool, increased fat, medications or infectious diseases. But also diseases such as celiac disease, Crohn's disease.

Stool consistency

Dry and hard stools will cause a problem when defecating, even pain or damage to the mucous membrane. Which will cause slight bleeding. Stool has the shape of balls, poop. An example of such a cause may be dehydration.

Thin and frequent stools or diarrhea may indicate various infectious diseases. If it is short, narrow, pencil-shaped, it may indicate irritable bowel syndrome. But also inflammation of the intestine, polyp or serious oncological disease, which creates an obstruction in the intestine.

The colour of the stool

This category is probably the one that scares people the most. Especially if there is blood in the stool. Of course, it doesn't mean anything good. Blood doesn't have to be the result of cancer. The best thing to do, of course, is a professional examination.

The table lists the different stool colours

Stool discolouration can be short-term, but also long-term. However, determining the cause of changes in stool characteristics or defecation is not easy. Diagnosis belongs to a specialist, and you will be referred to him by your GP.

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Green stools in a child

The first stool of a newborn is referred to as pitch. It is black, blackish-green, sticky. It changes over the following days when the baby starts feeding. So, later on, the stool of the baby is green, greenish-brown, and later on it can be yellow to yellow-orange.

The frequency of defecation of a small baby is several times a day. However, there are also babies who defecate once a week. If the baby does not have other symptoms of the disease, less frequent stools are not a cause for concern.

Stool during the breastfeeding period is not an important reason to have a baby

• mushy
• green, yellow and similar shades
• mucousy stools may also occur
• smells sour

Subsequently, when the baby begins to feed on a more solid diet, the characteristics of the stool change. It becomes thicker, more shapely. Its colour is light brown and the smell begins to resemble that of adulthood. It is largely influenced by what the baby has eaten.

Of course, it is important to note associated symptoms such as:

• abdominal pain
• hard (slabby) abdomen
• feeling sick, vomiting
• diarrhoea that persists
• constipation
• blood in the stool
• not thriving
• weight loss
• change in colour and consistency