What do stools indicate about health?

When it comes to toilet habits, the subject is not a favorite of most people.

Mention the word “poop” and the room can easily be emptied.

Or at the very least, cause some unusual facial expressions, nervous laughter and witticisms in those around you.

But the subject of feces is important and deserves serious attention.

It should not be neglected because it directly affects your health.

And since the average person generates about five tons of poop in a lifetime, we can learn a lot from this mountain of feces.

The shape, size, color and smell of feces can “tell” a lot about the overall state of health, how the gastrointestinal tract functions, suggest serious disease processes, infections, digestive problems and even cancer.

What are normal stools?

Stools are about 75% water. The rest is a fetid combination of fibers, living and dead bacteria, various cells.

Stools are basically 7 types. Number 1 are hard, round, like hazelnuts. The other two types have the shape of a sausage, but some have a coarse structure of small balls, and the others have smaller lumps and cracks.

Number 4 are like a snake – smooth and soft, number 5 – soft pieces with rounded corners, easy to pass.

Number 6 – fluffy, mushy stools and number 7 is a thin, liquid-like consistency. Ideally, stools are a combination of types 3, 4, and 5.

The first two types make defecation the most difficult, and due to their hardness, it can be painful. Diarrhea, or stool number 7, indicates an intolerance to lactose, artificial sweeteners, or a reaction to fructose or gluten.

What is normal and what is not when you look in the toilet?

Medium to light brown stools, about 1-2 inches in diameter and up to 18 inches long, and shaped like the letter S are normal .They should fall into the water quietly, without a whistling sound. The smell is natural, not sharp, and the texture is soft.

What are the stools that should worry you? They are hard, and their bowel movement is painful and requires straining.

Tight and pencil-thin stools may be a sign of colon tumor. Bright red stools are often a sign of bleeding in the digestive tract.

Black stools are also not normal, although sometimes they are because of drugs or nutritional supplements. White, pale or gray stools are usually a sign of a problem with the pancreas, hepatitis or cirrhosis, or possibly a blockage in the bile ducts.

Yellow feces are a sign of Gilbert’s Syndrome, which affects the bile. Problems with digestion speak of stools in which pieces of undigested food are visible.

Increased amounts of mucus in the stool can be associated with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, or even colon cancer, especially if accompanied by blood or abdominal paina.

If you have a change in your stool accompanied by abdominal pain, tell your doctor right away.

It should also not be ignored if your stool has an extremely bad smell, worse and stronger than usual, it should not be ignored.

This can be associated with a number of diseases such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis.

Also monitor how often you have a bowel movement. This is different for each person, as three bowel movements per week to three bowel movements per day are considered normal.

Be alert for changes in these habits as well. Many factors can affect regularity, such as diet, travel, medications, hormonal fluctuations, sleep, sports, illness, surgery, childbirth, stress and a whole host of other things, but sometimes it can also be a sign of serious healthy problem.