No need to worry if you take out green bowel movement because it is classified as normal. However, do not ignore the green-colored stool accompanied by other symptoms such as diarrhea or abdominal pain.
Normal feces are generally light brown to dark brown. The color is derived from the leftovers, red blood cells that have died, and bacteria in the colon. Feces can change color when food is not long enough in your digestive tract.
Read also: 13 Causes of Frequent Bowel Movements
Causes of Green Bowel Movements
The discoloration of feces becomes green including the common thing. This can be due to normal things like certain foods or drinks, to illness. Here are the causes of Green Bowel Movement Causes:
Eating green foods
In addition to diarrhea, green stool can also be caused by consuming too much vegetable, fruit, beans, or green spices. Green leafy vegetables are rich in chlorophyll, which is the green pigment that gives the plant color. In addition, a green synthetic food dye can also affect the color of the feces to green.
Taking a specific supplement or medication below can also make a green feces:
- Iron supplements, though more commonly cause black-colored feces.
- Supplements containing chlorophyll, such as spirulina, green algae, and chlorophyll.
- Antibiotics.
- NSAID drugs, such as indomethacin.
Blue and purple Vegetables
In addition to vegetables with green color, various foods in blue and purple will also be processed into green stool. Some types of purple vegetables such as cabbage, beet, and blueberries will also be converted into green color. Soft drinks, cakes, and cream with the dominant colors of blue and purple also end the same.
Coffee, spicy food and alco**hol
In general the staining process of feces occurs in the small intestine. The bile fluid will make the feces green and then turn yellow and tanned. This process runs from the small intestine to the large intestine. Unfortunately, in certain conditions this colorization process does not occur maximally so when the color of the feces is still green you have removed it.
Spicy foods, caffeine, and other foods that cause heartburn to accelerate the digestive process. The stool movement becomes faster so that the green color will be seen more often when you defecate.
Consumption of foods high in fats
Consuming too much fat can make the stool green. This is because bile works too hard to digest fats. Therefore, people undergoing a keto diet often find their stool green.
Diarrhea
The digestive process of food consumed into feces takes about two to three days. But when diarrhea, this process becomes interrupted. Diarrhea makes food displacement in the intestines occur too rapidly, so the digestive enzymes as well as bacteria in the intestines can not break the bile pigments into normal brown color.
Generally, as soon as diarrhea stops or reduces intake of the green vegetables, then green feces will return to normal in a few days. However, if green-colored feces occur protracted or accompanied by other symptoms such as vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, and bleeding during bowel movements, it is advisable to immediately go to the doctor to get the right treatment.
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Bile pigments
Bile is a fluid made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. This fluid naturally has a yellowish green color. This liquid will mix with food in the stomach, to make it easier for the body to digest the fat in the food.
Well, when mixed with food, bile fluid may not dissolve in food, so the color is still sufficiently concentrated and cause a green stool.
The digestive system works too fast
Mild gastrointestinal disorders can affect the color of feces. According to Dr. Gina Sam, a gastroenterologist in New York City, green feces is usually due to movement through the digestive system too quickly.
The intestines do not have enough time to break down the bile that helps break down food. The color of the bile tends to be yellow or green.
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Medical procedures
The discoloration of feces can also occur after medical procedures, such as bone marrow transplantation. If your body rejects the transplant, it can cause serious gastrointestinal disorders, causing diarrhea and feces in green color.
Thank you very much for reading Green Bowel Movement Causes, hopefully useful.
