• Question: What does it meen if your poo is green?

    Asked by thedestroyer to Anna, Craig, Richard, Shane, Sue on 16 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Craig McKenzie

      Craig McKenzie answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      you can look the answer up for this one on the internet thedestroyer! if it’s green then you should be on your way to the doctor….

      Here is what I found: thanks for the ‘interesting’ question…..

      Human feces (stools) can appear green for a number of reasons:

      1) Bile is a thick, greenish liquid that is secreted by your gall bladder to digest fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in your food and is usually broken down before you pass stools. However, if you pass stools rapidly through your intestines, there may not be enough time to break down the bile, so your stools appear green.

      2) If you have very loose stools that have a green tinge, you may have a virus. See your doctor if the condition persists.

      3) Your stools may be coated with a yellow-green mucus. This can hint at an underlying condition when accompanied by rapid and frequent passing of stools. See your doctor if the condition persists.

      now, I know this one shouldn’t be an issue for you but…

      4) In babies, greenish tar-like stools (meconium) are common within the first few days after birth. While in the womb, fetuses naturally ingest a thick liquid which comprises waste materials such as mucus and bile.

      Here is where i found the information although it is not a very scientific place to get information from:

      Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_human_feces_to_appear_green#ixzz1PRQoPMJF

    • Photo: Anna Williams

      Anna Williams answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Hi thedestroyer,
      I think Craig has given a very comprehensive answer to this. I know your poo can get darker if you have had a lot of iron in your diet, and I know that your pee and poo can look a bit pinky-red if you’ve been eating beetroot. If you haven’t been eating anything like green paint, or very green ice lollies, then I suggest you go to the doctor! 🙂

    • Photo: Sue Carney

      Sue Carney answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Hi thedestroyer!

      Craig & Anna have given lots of useful information here, so no need for me to repeat that. The only thing I would add is that in my job (being a body fluids expert) I’ve seen lots of different poo samples (yuck) and I can tell you from experience that there is lots of variation in colour & texture (gross!!!) and sometimes poo might look a bit green.

      If poo is very green though, definitely check with your doctor!

    • Photo: Shane Pennington-Cooper

      Shane Pennington-Cooper answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      It means that you have eaten too many green vegetables! Joking aside there are many reasons why your faeces (as you put it poo).

      It could be because you have eaten too much spinach, brocolli, beans, anything which is green in colour, this is due to the green pigment called chlorophyll. This pigment helps all plants photosynthesise, photosynthesis is the process of turning carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen by using light.

      It could also be because you have eaten too many green sweets, a lot of sweets nowadays have a lot of food colourants which can cause you poo to change colour.

      The biggest worry is salmonella, food poisoning can cause you poo to become green, if it is loose (runny) then I would speak to your doctor.

    • Photo: Richard Case

      Richard Case answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      I think this one has been sufficiently answered by the other guys…

      IF YOUR POO IS GREEN… YOU WILL NEED TO BE SEEN (by a doctor that is)… I can see a good rap being made from mean, green and seen 🙂

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