The pale color may signify a condition (biliary obstruction) where the flow of bile to the intestine is obstructed, such as obstruction of the bile duct from a tumor or gallstone in the duct or nearby pancreas. The stool can be gray or clay-colored if it contains little or no bile. Beets, other red vegetables, cranberries, and red food dyes also can turn the stool color red or maroon. The stool in this type of bleeding may be dark red or maroon in color. Moreover, large amounts of blood within the intestines speed up the transit of stool so that there is less time for the changes to take place. If the bleeding originates from lower parts of the intestines or the colon, blood may not come into prolonged contact with digestive enzymes because of the short distance from the site of bleeding to the rectum. This change in color and consistency occurs because of chemical reactions to blood within the intestine that are caused by digestive enzymes within the intestines. Generally, the black, tarry stool also is foul-smelling. If bleeding occurs in the stomach or the upper part of the small intestine, the stool may turn black and sticky, and be described medically as black, tarry stool (melena). If the stool color is dark because of any of these medications, it is typically not sticky in texture and is not foul-smelling.īleeding in the stomach (from gastritis or an ulcer) or the intestines can change the color of the stool. Some stool color changes may suggest an underlying medical condition, and others may be due to the ingestion of certain foods or medications.Ĭauses of black stool include iron pills or bismuth-containing medications (such as bismuth subsalicylate or Pepto-Bismol). The change may reflect substances that are added to stool or changes to substances normally present in the stool. Stool color can change for a variety of reasons. If your stool is black, the cause might be an iron supplement or over-the-counter medicine you took because your stomach felt bad. Contact your doctor if the stool color changes are persistent.

If stool color changes only happen once or twice (are transient) they are less of a concern than those that are persistent.Treatment for changes in stool color depends upon on the cause and can vary widely.Symptoms of stool color changes are usually related to the underlying cause and often there are no accompanying symptoms.weight loss medications that limit the amount of fat absorbed by the intestines, and.obstruction of the pancreatic duct that carries the enzymes to the intestines (most commonly due to pancreatic cancer),.bismuth-containing medications (such as Pepto-Bismol),.food dyes (especially red, green, purple),.

certain vegetables with deep colors, green foods,.

bleeding in the lower parts of the intestines or colon,.

Some causes of stool color changes include.

If stool is red, maroon, black, clay-colored, pale, yellow, or green this may signify a problem.

Normal stool color can range from light yellow to brown to almost black. This is due to the presence of bile in the stool. Stool color changes, depending on the color, can be harmless or an indication of a health problem, minor or serious.

Foods that lighten stool color