Does looking at the color of your stool put you off? The color of these could, however, give you a serious indication of your state of health. A taboo subject brought to light by a gastroenterologist on Instagram recently.
White stools should lead you straight to the doctor
In a video recently posted online and using her children’s modeling clay, Dr Pauline Guillouche, member of our committee of experts, has fun modeling stools in different colors to illustrate her point. And in the diversity of colors represented, one may stand out: very light or even white stools.
“If your poop is beige or white, you need to see the doctor as soon as possible!” assures the expert. “This generally reveals that there is a problem with the gallbladder: additional tests will verify this.”
And Dr Guillouche specifies: “When it comes to stool color, all shades of brown are normal!“So, we must not confuse stools.”beige or white“with stools”light brown” she reassures.
Other shades that should alert
It’s not just the color or appearance of the stool that should make you react. In his book 101 tips to avoid ending up in the emergency roomDr. Gérald Kierzek, medical director of True Medical, already explained to us the colors that make sense.
“A lot of information about the patient’s state of health can be revealed by the body’s waste products” assures our expert.
- Red stools (containing blood). Red blood present in the form of streaks on toilet paper is most often benign and linked to hemorrhoids (or more rarely to an anal fissure). “If it is in greater quantity or associated with other symptoms such as the unusual alternation of diarrhea/constipation, abdominal pain or even a family at risk, a medical consultation is necessary for an examination called proctoscopy. Only this examination will confirm the presence of hemorrhoids causing the bleeding (we speak of rectal bleeding)”;
- Black stools. Melena is bleeding of digested, blackish, foul-smelling blood. Its presence is abnormal and reflects digestive hemorrhage, i.e. bleeding that must be explored urgently;
- Discolored stools with debris. Mucus, discoloration of stools (especially if associated with jaundice) or the presence of debris or false membranes point to an infectious origin, especially in cases of diarrhea.
A glance can also give you other information.
“Certain intestinal parasitoses (or intestinal worms) are also detectable in the stools: pinworm disease responsible for intense scratching produces adult worms visible in the stools, as with roundworms. With taenia (taenia saginata and taenia solium) or tapeworm, rings are often present in the stools.”
What to do in your toilet
To avoid unpleasant surprises, there would therefore be a habit to adopt when going to the toilet: that of looking at your stools before flushing.
Dr. Gérald Kierzek also recalls a basic rule: “People whose first-degree relative (father, mother, brother, sister, child) was affected by colorectal cancer or an adenoma larger than one centimeter before age 65, and those whose two parents were affected regardless of age at diagnosis are at greater risk of colon cancer and should benefit from regular colonoscopy. Otherwise, from the age of 50, it’s time… to talk about colorectal cancer screening with your doctor!“.