# A poo for all seasons (kinda gross, but serious) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poo-for-all-seasons-kinda-gross-but-serious/165982 "2003-04-02T16:25:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poo-for-all-seasons-kinda-gross-but-serious/165982/1 "2003-04-02T16:25:46Z")
Over the years, I’ve had many an upset stomach, and noticed that feces happens to come in many a different color. Happy, healthy brown, as well as not so happy, healthy colors, such as orange, green, black, and, well…you get the idea. Do these varying colors mean anything specific (as in “Too much fat in your diet = orange” “You’ve got X virus/bug in your system = black”), or is it all more just in relation to one’s diet? ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poo-for-all-seasons-kinda-gross-but-serious/165982/2 "2003-04-02T16:38:45Z")
Interesting question, actually. I remember as a kid having the occasional green color, but for probably the last ten years or so can’t recall anything but regular old brown (although in varying, uh, consistency, depending on how I’m feeling). I have read in relation to dogs, though, that black often means that there’s some digestion of blood occurring that could be indicative of some kinds of internal bleeding. I guess that sort of thing might extend to people, too. ---
**Author:** ![remf3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@remf3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/remf3)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poo-for-all-seasons-kinda-gross-but-serious/165982/3 "2003-04-02T16:49:29Z")
Feces is a many splendored thing and for some physicians the rectum is the window to the soul. Black and tarry is bad, usually means bleeding somewhere in the digestive system, usually around the stomach or early small intestines, black would be digested blood. Bright red blood would be lower GI bleeding. Green would usually mean some kind of GI bug (ie Gastroenteritis or something equally nasty) as green is usually from bile meaning some hypermotility (the body is trying to dump some crap in the system as fast as possible, the reverse of vomiting). Other colors could be any number of things. You can get clay colored poo from (I believe, it’s early, I just got off work) some liver disorders. Certain food dyes can stain feces, as it’s not readily absorbable by the body. As for fat, one would usually get frothy diarrhea (medical term: steata pidgea). This is usually one of the first symptoms in children with cystic fibrosis. Diet most likely is going to _cough_ consistency of said poo. Diet changes can lead to diarrhea or constipation. It can also lead to changes in frequency (ie once a day to multiple times). As for color changes from diet, there’s none I’m aware of. If you take a lot of vitamins you may see some changes. We tend to be an over vitamined society, so you can actually see unabosrbed pill fragments. I know this only from viewing many a bed pan… ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poo-for-all-seasons-kinda-gross-but-serious/165982/4 "2003-04-02T17:31:41Z")
Green can also be completely innocuous. If you drink alcohol that is bright blue (Blue Karacoa…sp?) your poo will turn green as well. If it is white, you are having a liver problem such as hepatitis. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poo-for-all-seasons-kinda-gross-but-serious/165982/5 "2003-04-02T18:33:37Z")
Or you just had a barium enema. Thanks for the info there **remf3**. It’s something I’ve wondered for a long time (kids are fascinated by poo), but it’s a serious question, so I figured this was a good place to ask. And it’s not like the people here aren’t used to TMI threads 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poo-for-all-seasons-kinda-gross-but-serious/165982/6 "2003-04-02T19:11:51Z")
On another thread, IIRC someone mentioned that purple Mountain Dew leads to bright green poo, or the other way round. Or it might have been blue. Anyhow, it’s getting to be quite a rainbow river of faeces in them there sewers. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poo-for-all-seasons-kinda-gross-but-serious/165982/7 "2003-04-02T19:20:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by istara \* > \*\*On another thread, IIRC someone mentioned that purple Mountain Dew leads to bright green poo, or the other way round. \*\* **Or the other way around???** :eek: ---
**Author:** ![simply\_cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@simply\_cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simply_cats)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poo-for-all-seasons-kinda-gross-but-serious/165982/8 "2003-04-02T19:48:25Z")
As any mother will tell you, the more purple grape juice one drinks, the greener the poo. And we are talking bright, kelly green. On of the world’s great mysteries. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poo-for-all-seasons-kinda-gross-but-serious/165982/9 "2003-04-02T21:30:01Z")
Grape Koolaid works quite well too!