Green Stool

What does Green Stool mean?

Green stool usually means that food has passed through the intestines faster than normal before it could be changed from green to brown. When food passes through the intestines faster than normal, it is called decreased bowel transit time or rapid transit.

What causes Green Stool?

One of the main causes of green stool is diarrhea. Diarrhea decreases bowel transit time.

Other causes of green stool include:

• Laxative use
• Antibiotic use
• Medication side effects
• Food poisoning
• Celiac disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Crohn's disease
• Malabsorption
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Bacterial overgrowth
• Infectious diarrhea - especially salmonella and giardia
• Traveler's diarrhea
• Cancer

Foods and supplements that can cause green stool include:

• Chlorophyll
• Iron supplements
• Algae

Green Stool in Breast Feed Babies

In breast-fed babies, green stool is a normal occurrence, especially right after birth.

What to do if your stool is green

If you have green stool with other symptoms and cannot think of a reason why your bowel movements may have changed, call your doctor. While green stool is not considered abnormal, serious or chronic changes in bowel movement may indicate a cause for concern.

Brown Stool

The liver constantly secretes a bright green fluid called bile into the small intestine or it is stored in the gallbladder.

Bile is needed to absorb fats and fat soluble vitamins. Bile also helps to soften stools and is responsible for giving stools their characteristic brown color.

As bile makes its way through the intestines, it progressively changes color from green to yellow to brown. The color change is caused by the action of bacteria in the large intestine on the bile salts.

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