Lily Peng

Excretion is a necessary part of every human’s experience. The shape and texture of stool outlines a person’s overall health.

You feel a weight accumulating in your stomach. It is time for your daily deep bowel cleanse. 

While most individuals may not want to discuss their waste elimination routines, excretion is a necessary part of every human’s experience. Furthermore, the frequency, color and shape of stool offer insights into an individual’s digestive system and overall health. 

“Those are important things to look at when you go to the restroom,” nurse Jennifer Olson said. “The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is at its best when it is outside of the level of conscious thought. What we want is for it to work by itself without our attention on the system all the time.”

In the intestines, bacteria break down liver bile into the pigment stercobilin, which is brown. As a result, brown is the normal color for feces, but other shades can appear. For instance, red stools characterize blood leakage from the lower GI tract, and black and sticky stools, known as melena, signify liver issues. 

Before coming to Harker, biology teacher Terese Navarra researched the source behind different stool colors by measuring the blood and nutrient content present in stools. She found that the causes of blood in the stool could range from intestinal polyps that lead to colon cancer to a large piece of food that cuts through the GI tract.

“The location of the bleeding is very important,” Navarra said. “If the blood is coming from your colon, it’ll just come out like normal-colored blood. If the cut is somewhere before your stomach, in the upper respiratory system, the blood will actually get digested, and it turns a dark black tar color and stinks really bad. No matter the color, blood in your stool is usually a sign that something is happening, so never ignore it. Always go to a doctor because they can help you get out of pain faster.”

Medical professionals often consult the Bristol Stool Chart, a tool that classifies feces into seven types based on their shape and consistency, to evaluate health. This scale ranges from Type 1, which consists of hard pellets that denote a lack of water, to Type 7, which has a water consistency that signals rapid-transit diarrhea. Typically, Types 3 and 4 are considered the most ideal, representing stools that easily pass through.

Frequency of excretion can also serve as an indicator for health, as medical experts typically cite three times a day to three times a week as the normal range. Less may suggest constipation, and more indicates diarrhea.

Diet is the most significant factor affecting a person’s bowel movements: nutrient-dense foods like vegetables, fruits and lean proteins curate a healthy gut microbiome that can keep stools in the healthy range and prevent immune diseases. 

Director of Health Services Debra Nott observed that for a while, the scientific community assumed the brain activity regarding food cravings was separate from the GI tract, but recent research has uncovered a vital link between the two.

“The bacteria in your GI tract can signal your brain to tell you that you should go eat particular food,” Nott said. “If you eat a high-carb, high-sugar diet, then those are the kind of bacteria that are going to live in your GI tract. If it’s been a while since you’ve had sugar and carbs, those guys down there are going to get a little hungry, and they’ll signal your brain, ‘Let’s have some potato chips right now. Something crunchy and salty, something sweet would be great.’”

Besides diet, stress can be a major deciding factor that influences whether someone feels symptoms of diarrhea or constipation. Hormones can affect stool as well: during the first few days of menstruation, the body releases a higher level of prostaglandins, which can trigger diarrhea.

Digestive concerns can also stem from inflammation of the bowel, caused by the immune system attacking healthy cells, resulting in swelling and damage in the digestive tract. Studies have found that long exposure to this issue may result in diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s by weakening the blood-brain barrier and enabling toxins to enter the brain. Perhaps more notoriously, though, it can cause irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a chronic disorder marked by abdominal pain and changed bowel movements.

 “It’s made me more conscious about what I eat,” Stellan said. “Sometimes if I’m just eating oil and grease all day, it’s not going to be good for my stomach and bowels. I talk about IBS very publicly, so it’s made me realize that other people suffer from the same thing. Everybody poops. We should just stop being embarrassed and be proud about pooping.”

Though certain symptoms can indicate bowel issues, digestive habits vary between different people. An anonymous student commented on how their experience does not align with typical defecation patterns.

“My dad wanted to take me to the doctor because he was concerned that I had irritable bowel syndrome,” the source said. “But there’s diversity in terms of how much we poop a day. We don’t have to conform to assumptions about how much we’re supposed to poop. We don’t need to fit in our boxes.”

Ultimately, managing digestive health comes down to noticing patterns in what exits the body and actively making lifestyle and diet changes to mitigate those issues.

“There’s a lot of gut-brain connection,” Olson said. “By paying attention to what’s going on in your digestive tract, you can start to put things together. So, asking questions like, ‘How can I make some better choices or manage this a little bit better, so maybe I don’t have this problem next time?’ It’s just paying attention, knowing your body and your routines.”