Why Is My Poop Green?
7 Possible Causes
Green poo is not just one color, it could be any shade of green. Some people think that it’s because they have been exposed to sunlight or even the sun itself which causes their skin to turn a different color.
However, there are other possible reasons why your poop might look like this:
1) You’ve eaten something with too much iron.
Iron is an essential mineral that helps maintain healthy blood cells. If you’re eating foods high in iron, then your body will absorb them better and thus making your blood thinner.
This may cause your stool to become lighter in color than usual.
2) Your bowel movements are being affected by constipation.
Constipation is when you don’t have enough loose stools every day. When you don’t get rid of the waste properly, it gets stuck in your intestines and makes it difficult for your body to move through the feces.
3) You’re suffering from hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoids are small veins that form inside the rectum (the tube leading out of the bottom). These veins can become swollen and painful when they have to pass stool.
If you have hemorrhoids then you’re more likely to have a green tinge covering your stool.
4) You’ve eaten a lot of vegetables and fruit.
Some vegetables and fruits contain high levels of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the pigment that gives plants their green color, along with giving them their ability to synthesize sugars from light.
If you eat too much of this, then your stool will be green. The same goes if you drink too much green smoothies or green tea.
5) You’ve been using a lot of supplements that turn your stool a different color.
Supplements aren’t essential for life and your body doesn’t always know how to process certain types. This can cause the unwanted color to come through and turn your stools green.
Sources & references used in this article:
Celiac neuropathy by RL Chin, HW Sander, TH Brannagan, PHR Green… – Neurology, 2003 – AAN Enterprises
Changing patterns of rotavirus genotypes in Ghana: emergence of human rotavirus G9 as a major cause of diarrhea in children by …, RH Asmah, F Anto, D Brown, J Green… – Journal of clinical …, 2003 – Am Soc Microbiol
Prediction of the development of sigmoid ischemia on the day of aortic operations: indirect measurements of intramural pH in the colon by RG Fiddian-Green, PM Amelin, JB Herrmann… – Archives of …, 1986 – jamanetwork.com
The United States national prospective hemolytic uremic syndrome study: microbiologic, serologic, clinical, and epidemiologic findings by …, TJ Barrett, WF Bibb, JH Green… – The Journal of …, 2001 – academic.oup.com
Colic and food allergy in the breastfed infant: is it possible for an exclusively breastfed infant to suffer from food allergy? by B Schach, M Haight – Journal of Human Lactation, 2002 – journals.sagepub.com
International collaborative study to compare reverse transcriptase PCR assays for detection and genotyping of noroviruses by …, E Schreier, A Richards, J Green… – Journal of clinical …, 2003 – Am Soc Microbiol
