• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Expert explains why your poop is green and serious reason why you might need to go to the doctors

Home> News> Health

Published 11:48 9 Dec 2024 GMT

Expert explains why your poop is green and serious reason why you might need to go to the doctors

Most of the time, the change isn't anything to be too concerned about

Ellie Kemp

Ellie Kemp

Our toilet habits might be a taboo subject, but they can offer us some important insights into our health.

Some of us are 'voluntary withholders' without even realizing it, while others can't seem to ever get off the porcelain throne and feel the need to poop after every meal.

Usually, a change in bowel habit isn't anything to worry about.

But there can be some alarming changes that might worry us - including the color of our poop changing.

Advert

If one day you began passing green stool, for example, you'd be pretty concerned.

Fortunately, health experts have explained what it could mean and when you should seek help.

Why is my poop green?

Green poop can be explained away by a number of reasons (Peter Cade/Getty Images)
Green poop can be explained away by a number of reasons (Peter Cade/Getty Images)

Advert

The most common reasoning behind green stool is major changes in your diet.

And it's usually because, well - you're eating your greens!

Vegetables like broccoli, kale, spinach, peas, and asparagus are rich in chlorophyll, the chemical that gives plants the ability to make energy from sunlight.

This can help in turning your poop green.

Advert

But other strong-colored foods can have the same effect - think blueberries, smoothies, soda, food coloring in icing, and ice pops.

Medication can turn your poop green

Some antibiotics can cause poop to turn green (Viktoriya Skorikova/Getty Images)
Some antibiotics can cause poop to turn green (Viktoriya Skorikova/Getty Images)

Some medications and illnesses can have an impact on your stool. According to UK charity Guts UK, some antibiotics can make your poop turn a funny color.

Advert

And being unwell, like having a gastrointestinal (GI) illness, could also be the cause. If you have such an infection, you'll also probably notice you're going to the toilet more often.

Crohn's disease is among the GI illnesses that could be causing the discoloring. This causes significant inflammation in your digestive tract, leading to diarrhoea, stomach aches and cramps, and even blood in your poo.

Those suffering from gluten intolerance - known as celiac disease - can also experience green poop as a side effect of the illness.

More serious illness

Illnesses can also impact your stool (Jacob Wakerhausen/Getty Images)
Illnesses can also impact your stool (Jacob Wakerhausen/Getty Images)

Advert

Some bacteria can change the color of your poop, such as salmonella, norovirus, and even a parasite known as giardia.

They cause your guts to empty quicker than normal, which is where the discoloration comes from.

Other people might have an undiagnosed liver or bladder problem.

Guts UK adds: "Green poo can also be caused by a condition called bile acid diarrhoea, where bile stays in the stools without being reabsorbed, and hence discolours the poo.

Advert

"This can occur if you have liver or gall bladder disease, or if you have had bowel surgery or disorders of the small intestine."

Howard E. LeWine, Chief Medical Editor at Harvard Health Publishing, said: "Intermittent green stool in someone who otherwise feels fine is usually related to eating dark green vegetables, such as spinach and kale.

"Another reason for green poop is the rapid passage of green bile from the small intestine when a person has diarrhoea.

"Medications, including bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol), iron supplements, and some antibiotics, may also result in greenish colored stool."

Featured Image Credit: LuckyBusiness/Getty Images/Kinga Krzemińska/Getty Images

Topics: Health, Science

Ellie Kemp
Ellie Kemp

Ellie joined UNILAD in 2024, specialising in SEO and trending content. She moved from Reach PLC where she worked as a senior journalist at the UK’s largest regional news title, the Manchester Evening News. She also covered TV and entertainment for national brands including the Mirror, Star and Express. In her spare time, Ellie enjoys watching true crime documentaries and curating the perfect Spotify playlist.

X

@EllieKempOnline

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

a minute ago
an hour ago
14 hours ago
  • Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
    a minute ago

    Wife of West Wing actor Timothy Busfield makes unexpected request to judge following his arrest for child sex abuse claims

    Timothy Busfield's wife wrote to the judge after her husband's arrest following claims of child sex abuse

    Celebrity
  • Lex Clips/YouTube
    an hour ago

    What we know about uncontacted Amazonian tribe after never-before-seen footage sparks wild theories

    New images of the community are clearer than any taken before

    News
  • Getty Stock Images
    14 hours ago

    Experts reveal American hotspot is the 'worst' tourist destination in the world

    It's a hugely popular tourist spot, but still ranked very low

    News
  • Getty Stock Images
    14 hours ago

    Relationship expert reveals one of the main reasons couples break up in January

    It turns out there are bad times of year for relationships

    News
  • Expert explains surprising reason why you should never take a cold shower when it’s hot
  • Reason why you probably hate hearing your own voice on recordings
  • Shocking new study explains how one milkshake could cause serious harm to your health
  • Reason behind series of white spots on your body and private parts as experts issue serious warning