Normal stool and its changes. How to adjust a chair

Feces are waste products of the body that are removed from the lower parts of the colon during the act of defecation. Feces act as a kind of indicator of human health. A change in the shape, color, or consistency of stool may be normal or indicate the development of diseases, primarily of the digestive tract.

What type of stool should a healthy person have?

The place where feces come from is the intestinal tract, its lower sections. Feces are the final product of food processing, the formation of which occurs under the influence of biochemical processes.

Feces appear in the large intestine from chyme, as the liquid or semi-liquid contents of the digestive tract are called, which includes food debris, gastric and intestinal juices, gland secretions, desquamated epithelial cells and microflora. The person admitted to distal sections As a result of the absorption of water, the structure of the lump changes and it turns into feces. From 400 grams of chyme, 150-200 grams of feces are formed.

The photo shows what human feces consists of.

The correct stool structure of a healthy body includes 70-75% water, mucus, and fat.

Feces contain approximately 1/3 of food residues, the same parts of the secretions of the digestive organs and microbes. Microorganisms are dead in 95% of cases.

Why feces do not sink in water is due to their structure. They are characterized by a porous structure and gas enrichment. This creates their buoyancy in the toilet. However, when the pores are filled with water, the excrement will drown after a while. Excessive buoyancy indicates an excessive concentration of fats and gases in the stool. If, on the contrary, the feces immediately sink, this indicates that they are saturated with “bad” cholesterol and toxins.

Normal feces are a sausage 10-20 centimeters long, uniform in color, composition and soft consistency. It does not contain any impurities of blood, foam, or pus. Mucus in small quantities is acceptable. Brown stool is more common.

However, the nature of the stool different people may differ from the standard, which is not necessarily a sign of pathology. Its shape, color, smell, length, diameter, thickness depend on a person’s eating habits, the amount of food and water consumed, the structural features of the intestines, diseases, and so on.

How much does feces weigh?

The weight of bowel movements in a particular person depends on the volume and quality of food and water. The latter directly affects the indicator: with constipation, the concentration of fluid in the stool is low, with diarrhea it is high, which causes weight changes. It ranges from 200 to 900 grams. The norm is calculated using the formula: 28.35 grams of feces per 5.443 kilograms of body weight. That is, the standard volume of feces for men and women weighing 72.6 kg is 454 grams.

An increase in the mass of feces (scientifically called “polyfecal matter”) occurs in pathologies associated with impaired digestion of food. Often, copious feces (weighing 1 kilogram) are released when the pancreas is damaged.

A decrease in the mass of intestinal discharge is associated with constipation or consumption of rapidly processed foods.

How many times a day should you have stool?

Bowel movements are normally carried out 1, 2 or 3 times a day, depending on the characteristics of digestion. However, there are individual standards here too. A variant of the human norm may be the act of defecation once every 3 days. Reduces the frequency of eating food of animal origin, increases - of plant origin.

The process of excreting feces healthy person occurs without pain (short-term spastic sensations are possible) and strong pushing, lasts 2 minutes.

The standard common frequency of passing stool is once a day per day. morning hours. If a person walks very irregularly for a long time, unstable stools (either constipation or diarrhea) are constantly observed - this is a reason to consult a doctor.

Along with the formation of feces, gas formation occurs in the intestines. Normally, 0.2-0.5 liters of gases are excreted from the body per day. When consuming certain foods (fiber, yeast, carbohydrates, etc.), overeating, or swallowing air, their quantity increases, which is accompanied by increased flatulence (the norm is up to 12 times a day).

Color

The color of stool, which occurs in a healthy person, changes depending on the food consumed. Normally, there are various shades of brown.

Plant products color feces: beets and watermelon are characterized by burgundy and bright red colors, respectively; black currants, blueberries, coffee, cocoa are dark, and Santal oil is reddish-violet.

Medications can change the color of feces. For example, medications containing bismuth cause black stools. After taking iron supplements, stool has a dark greenish tint.

Multi-colored stool is normal when eating food that stains. If two-colored stools are often present, as if divided in half by shades, this means a violation of the “mixing” of the masses that occurs in the lower third of the intestine, which requires analysis from each half.

In medicine, characterizing the color of stool is a way to determine the disease.

White

Acholic feces (light in color) are formed as a result of taking certain medications (antibiotics, antifungals and contraceptives, barium before instrumental examination of the digestive tract).

Discolored (white, sandy) feces are formed as a result of obstruction and stagnation of bile. They signal the development of hepatitis, cholelithiasis, dysbacteriosis, pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis, and oncology.

Red

If the color of stool and urine changes to red, this mainly indicates the consumption of typical foods: beets, watermelon, food coloring. This shade lasts 2-5 days.

If they were absent from the diet, a scarlet color may indicate bleeding in the lower intestines caused by hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, anal fissures, or a tumor. It is also provoked by the consumption of spicy food due to its irritating effect on the mucous membrane. Brick color indicates bleeding in the upper intestine, located under the small intestine.

Unprocessed pink or red pieces of plant products (tomatoes, blueberries, currants, cranberries) look like bloody inclusions.

Feces, like “raspberry jelly” (transparent, mucous-scarlet), are a symptom of amebiasis - a protozoal pathology, which is characterized by ulcerative lesions of the large intestine.

Yellow

This discoloration of stool occurs when there is an excess of fat, which indicates dysfunction of the liver and biliary system. This may cause a bitter taste in the mouth. Yellow stool may be the result of an infection in the digestive tract. Oily stools are a sign of chronic pancreatitis or celiac disease.

When characterizing stool with urolithiasis, a yellow color is also noted. At the same time, it persists for a long time.

Orange

If the stool turns orange, consider including foods containing carotene or unsaturated carbohydrates (persimmons, carrots, pumpkin, sea buckthorn oil, spinach, etc.) in the diet. Food coloring also causes a similar tint.

Some medications turn stool orange (multivitamins, Rifampicin, etc.).

This coloration of stool is characteristic of pathologies of the liver and biliary tract, pancreas, and kidneys. It is also found in cystitis, inflammatory diseases of the digestive system, escherichiosis, and hormonal disorders.

Grey

This color of stool indicates a violation of the flow of bile into the intestinal tract. Clay-gray, colorless or earthy feces in an adult are formed due to digestive dysfunction, and a strong unpleasant odor may be present.

The symptom is characteristic of cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, tumors of the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas. In this case, the stool is light gray. A dark earthy tint is present in ulcerative colitis and putrefactive dyspepsia.

Gray feces occur when taking barium preparations, antibiotics, antifungals, contraceptives and others, fatty foods or allergies.

Brown

Represents the normal coloration of stool that occurs in most cases. At the same time, the shades and color saturation change depending on the food consumed.

Dairy products cause a light brown or bright yellow coloration. After eating meat products it is characteristically dark brown.

Black

This color is often a consequence of taking groups of drugs: iron, bismuth, antacids, activated carbon, and so on. Eating large amounts of meat products and dark vegetables causes black stools. In such cases, nothing needs to be done, since this is not considered a pathology.

If the described factors were not present, black stool may be a symptom of bleeding from the upper digestive tract or a high concentration of iron.

Tarry stools (melena) deserve special attention - foul-smelling liquid or pasty discharge indicates massive bleeding from the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum. In this case, the black color of the stool alternates with normal. This condition requires urgent medical attention.

Green

This shade of stool is present when eating food that contains iron and dyes: greens, juices, sea fish, red beans, cereals, caramel, and so on.

Medicines also cause changes in stool color. Iron supplements and antibiotics give it a dark green, marsh color.

Pathological causes of this coloration include Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome and its inflammation, lamblia, salmonellosis, poisoning, thyrotoxicosis, diabetes, celiac disease. The green color is due to the presence of bile, while feces, moving through the intestines, do not have time to acquire a brown color. Bacterial infections and overeating carbohydrate-containing foods enhance fermentation processes, causing a characteristic color in the stool.

Form

The consistency and density of feces depends on the time they remain in the intestinal tract, its work and structure: with increased peristalsis, water is not absorbed enough, with slow peristalsis, it is absorbed more. In the first case, the stool will be soft or liquid, in the second - tight and strong.

Based on their physical properties, the intestines secrete mucus, which improves the passage of feces. With inflammation, abundant exudate also makes the stool have a liquid consistency. If there is a high fat content in it, the form will become ointment-like (pasty).

Mushy

Unformed feces are considered a pathological sign; they contain an excessive amount of water (90-92%). In this case, mushy stool is often heterogeneous, in the form of flakes. If small parts are mixed with abundantly secreted mucus, this means the presence of an inflammatory process.

Semi-liquid, loose stools are a consequence of increased contraction of the walls of the colon and excessive production of juice. This consistency is possible with high liquid consumption.

Thin (ribbon-like, ribbon-like)

The narrow shape of feces indicates obstacles to the passage of masses in the lower parts of the digestive tract or external pressure on the intestines. Ribbon-shaped (flat) feces are the result of spastic narrowing of the sphincters.

Such “pencil” (thread-like) stool requires diagnosis (colonoscopy), since it is considered a symptom of neoplasms.

Solid

There are many reasons for the formation of hard, dense feces:

• poor nutrition with a lack of fiber in the diet;
• little physical mobility;
• decreased motility or convulsive contractions of the digestive tract;
• increased water absorption;
• mechanical obstacles (polyps, tumors);
• inflammatory phenomena.

Hard feces are often evidence of constipation, and stool may be daily, but in small portions, and there is a feeling that the bowel movement has not been completed completely.

Taking certain medications also hardens stool, making it thick and hard and difficult to pass through the intestinal tract.

Balls (peas)

This is a type of hard stool consisting of individual round lumps. Outwardly it resembles “sheep” feces.

It takes shape due to prolonged presence in the intestines as a result of constipation, dehydration, taking certain medications and strengthening products (meat, alcohol), and a sedentary lifestyle. With spastic colitis, the feces, like those of a goat, contain 60% water, which explains its tightness.

Smell

Feces smell like decay products of food debris, mainly protein. However, the intensity is different. With an abundance of protein in the diet, a strong smell of stool is characteristic.

Normally, stool smells unpleasant, but not harsh or irritating. Excessively smelly feces indicate disturbances in the processes of decay and fermentation in the intestines.

Sour

This smell is characteristic of fermentative dyspepsia, which is caused by frequent and excessive consumption of carbohydrates (sugar, baked goods, carbonated drinks and others).

Foods of dairy origin also affect fermentation processes in the body, causing a peculiar aroma in the stool.

Acetone

Sometimes the stool takes on a distinct smell of acetone. The reasons for this phenomenon are called increased physical activity, excessive consumption of protein foods, fatty foods, and alcoholic beverages.

This odor may appear with the development of diabetes mellitus.

Putrefactive

This is what excrement smells like when there are disorders of food digestion, putrefactive dyspepsia associated with excessive protein consumption and its slow absorption. The predominance of decay processes is visible when general analysis stool by alkaline reaction.

Granulomatous or ulcerative colitis are also causes.

If the stool smells like “rotten eggs,” this indicates dysfunction of the small and large intestines due to infections, inflammation, and poisoning. Bacteria are capable of releasing hydrogen sulfide, which has a characteristic “smell.” The smell is often accompanied by diarrhea.

Fetid

A very unpleasant odor is characteristic of pathologies of the pancreas and cholecystitis. Occurs during the disintegration of tumors, putrefactive dyspepsia, bacterial infection, impaired digestion of food (celiac disease, Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis).

Odor may occur when treated with certain medications (for example, antibiotics).

Cutting

Typically, a pronounced odor is associated with eating foods rich in phytoncides: onions, garlic. Excessive amounts of them destroy pathogenic microflora in the intestines, causing a pungent aroma.

Another reason is the inclusion of large amounts of meat, cabbage, legumes, and fatty foods in the diet.

Types on the Bristol scale

The classification of the main types of feces is presented on a specially developed Bristol scale.

The table shows pictures of types of feces and their descriptions.

It allows the patient to easily and without embarrassment formulate and characterize his own bowel movements, naming the appropriate type to the doctor:

• 1 and 2 are considered signs of constipation, feces do not come out of the intestines for several days, and are hard as a rock. They can cause injury to the anus, hemorrhoids, and intoxication.
• With type 3, defecation is also difficult, but the stool is of a softer consistency. To empty the intestines, you have to make several intense attempts, which can cause cracks. Characteristic of irritable bowel syndrome.
• Types 4 and 5 are considered normal. With the latter, defecation is possible several times a day.
• Type 6 indicates a stool that is not formed. It is regarded as a condition close to diarrhea.
• Type 7 includes loose stool. Stool with the consistency of water is considered a pathological phenomenon that needs treatment.

Causes of pathological stool

Factors influencing the formation of pathological forms, consistency, smell, color of feces are: various diseases, the state of the digestive system or the characteristics of the food consumed.

Fat

Shiny, elastic feces, like plasticine, indicate an excessive concentration of fats in it (steatorrhea). In this case, feces stick to the toilet and are not flushed.

If this is a one-time occurrence, it is usually caused by poor nutrition. If you regularly discharge sticky stool that is shiny, you should consult a doctor. It is a symptom of pancreatitis, enzyme deficiency, dysfunction of bile flow due to its stagnation.

Frequent

The norm is to have bowel movements up to 3 times a day, but in some cases it is possible to increase the frequency up to 5 times. This is usually associated with the consumption of foods that enhance motor skills.

If the stool is of normal thick consistency and other symptoms do not bother you, then nothing needs to be done. In the case when feces are not formed, have a liquid consistency, in the presence of impurities (blood, mucus, pus), feeling unwell, fever, pain, you should consult a doctor. This condition can be caused by infection, poisoning, or dysfunction of the digestive system.

Rare (constipation)

The irregular and protracted nature of bowel movements is a consequence of impaired food processing and absorption.

Constipation is considered to be infrequent bowel movements (less than 3 times a week). In this case, the stool is hard, often dry, does not come out well, the first portion is “plug-like.” Next, feces of normal consistency may be released.

The condition is treated by following a diet with a high fiber content, drinking plenty of fluids, and physical activity. The doctor decides how to induce feces and whether laxatives can be taken. It is advisable to prescribe medications on a natural basis.

With mucus

The presence of a small amount of exudate in the stool is considered normal. An increase in its volume is caused by the consumption of cereals, dairy products, fruits, and berries.

However, if there is excessive discharge of viscous mucus, the appearance of other impurities in the stool and symptoms (pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, etc.), you should consult a doctor. This may indicate infections, inflammation, ulcerative lesions of the digestive tract, and microflora disorders.

Liquid (diarrhea)

Diarrhea is not always a sign of pathological phenomena. It is considered natural when consuming foods that cause stool liquefaction: kefir, milk, vegetables and fruits in large quantities, fatty foods. If the diarrhea is not severe and there are no other symptoms (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain), the diet will help stabilize the stool.

Chronic diarrhea can be caused by impaired microflora, nutrient absorption, stress and anxiety.

Severe diarrhea is caused by infections, poisoning, diseases of the digestive system (colitis, enterocolitis, and so on).

In acute conditions, severe loose stools, it is required health care and measures to rehydrate the body to avoid the development of dehydration.

Foamy

The occurrence of this type of stool in males and females indicates fermentative dyspepsia. Characterized by a sour odor.

Stool with bile has a yellowish-green color, diarrhea and pain in the right side of the abdomen are characteristic.

The causes are diseases of the biliary system, dysbacteriosis, poisoning, hologenic diarrhea. In this case, the urine darkens to brown.

With blood

The presence of blood in stool gives it a different color, depending on where the source is located. Black color indicates bleeding in the upper digestive tract and requires urgent medical attention.

Scarlet discharge on top of the stool indicates the presence of anal fissures and hemorrhoids. When red blood is mixed with feces, inflammation, ulcerative lesions of the intestinal tract, and neoplasms are possible.

What does bowel movement look like?

The type of feces varies depending on the presence of diseases, their severity and stage. Characteristic signs stools allow the doctor to diagnose pathology and prescribe treatment.

For intestinal diseases

First of all, bowel movements allow us to judge the state of the intestinal tract. Alternating diarrhea and constipation, flatulence, and pain often accompany irritable bowel syndrome. But it is important to differentiate it from ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

Impurities of mucus, blood, pus indicate inflammatory diseases, infections.

With an excess of proteins in the diet and the prevalence of putrefaction processes in the intestines, the formation of a fecal belly is possible.

Feces fill the loops of the tract, their activity is low, feces do not pass through due to atony or move heavily. As a result, a saggy, flabby or inflamed belly is formed that requires cleansing.

For pancreatitis

As the disease develops, the stool becomes liquefied: it becomes mushy or liquid. The bowel movements are copious, frequent, foul-smelling, characterized by a greasy sheen and a sticky consistency (difficult to wash off).

The color is light, sometimes discolored, dirty gray (during exacerbation), with a chronic course a greenish tint is possible.

For bowel cancer

Diarrhea occurs after prolonged constipation. The frequency of bowel movements is up to 10 times a day. Possible mushy stools, sometimes with blood.

A narrow and thin shape of feces (ribbon-shaped) indicates a change in the structure of the intestine, an obstacle to the passage of feces, which is also a symptom of tumor processes.

The stool may take on a reddish tint or black if bleeding occurs.

For diseases of the liver and gall bladder

A characteristic symptom of pathologies of the liver and biliary tract is acholic (light-colored) stool. It turns yellow, white or gray. The analysis determines the presence of fatty acids and soap.

Diarrhea occurs when the production of fatty acids is disrupted and they do not enter the intestines (with cholestasis).

For dysbacteriosis

Characteristic changes in shades and consistency of stool. The color of the stool becomes green, light, gray. Foamy stools and pieces of undigested food may be present.

Alternating diarrhea and constipation are often observed.

Child's stool

Children's digestion has increased sensitivity, which differs from that of adults. The baby’s stool contains its own microflora, which depends on the type of feeding. On breastfeeding, gram-positive predominates, on artificial - gram-negative.

At an early stage of a child’s development, gastrointestinal pathologies are severe, so an analysis of the baby’s stool taking into account the norms and possible deviations becomes an important indicator of his health.

In the first days after birth, dark-colored meconium is passed. Light is gradually added to it (over 3 days) and on the 4-5th day it becomes the main one.

At breastfeeding Yellow poop indicates the presence of bilirubin, which is replaced by stercobilin at 4 months.

As pathologies develop, feces change, so you should know its main variations in children:

• « Hungry chair- characterized by black, dark green, dark brown color, unpleasant odor. It is observed when the child is starving or improperly fed.
• Acholic- the child poops discolored feces of white, gray color, similar to clay. Occurs in epidemic hepatitis, biliary atresia.
• Watery yellow- characteristic of breastfeeding, when mother's milk lacks nutrients.
• Putrefactive- there is a mushy consistency, dirty gray color with a pungent odor. Characteristic for protein feeding.
• Soapy- soft consistency and silvery color, shiny, mucus mixed.
• Mushy yellow- unformed, formed by excessive consumption of cereals, mainly semolina.
• Grainy- the stool contains black inclusions, grains, and grains that resemble sand. These are undigested food remains and medicines. In young children, they are typical when fruits (bananas, apples) are introduced into the diet. As the baby grows, the inclusions will disappear.
• Fatty- has a whitish tint and a sour smell. Mucus is observed in moderate quantities. Occurs with excessive fat consumption.
• Constipation- in this case, the stool is hard, gray in color with a putrid odor.
• Curled, yellow-green- characteristic of dyspepsia.

What can you learn from a stool test?

The composition of the stool helps determine whether there are disturbances in the functioning of internal organs. Stool analysis is a common laboratory test.

It is important to test for occult blood, especially for elderly patients. The analysis reveals possible bleeding in the digestive tract, which is considered a symptom of severe pathologies, including cancer.

A test for dysbacteriosis determines the state of the intestinal microflora and the level of microorganism ratio.

Analysis of stool for the intestinal group and VD identifies infectious agents, determines antibiotic sensitivity, which increases the effectiveness of treatment.

Tests for enterobiasis and worm eggs can identify pinworms and helminths.

Infants (up to 1 year) are prescribed a stool test for carbohydrates to determine lactase deficiency.

To diagnose diseases, not only the type and composition of stool is important, but also the act of defecation itself: its frequency, nature, and the presence of pain.

Based on indirect evidence, a preliminary diagnosis is made, which is confirmed or refuted by additional examination. For example, smearing, when panties in adults are regularly soiled, may indicate incontinence, which is a sign of organic pathologies (tumors, injuries, and so on).

In official medicine, treatment with feces, or fecal transplantation, is used. In this method, feces from a healthy person are introduced into the intestinal tract of the patient. At the same time, the infected and damaged microflora returns to normal. In some cases, this method of therapy is more effective than taking antibiotics.

Psychiatric medicine knows a deviation in which people eat feces (coprophagia), their own or someone else's. This indicates schizophrenia, severe mental retardation or sexual deviation, when the fetish is the taste of feces or the process of eating itself. If we consider from the physiological side what will happen if we eat feces, then observations of patients with mental disorders have shown the absence of significant negative consequences. Possible development of mild digestive disorders and vomiting

Our stool can tell a lot about our health. The shape and types of feces help to recognize what is happening inside the body. When our intestines are healthy, then our stool should be normal. If, however, sometimes you notice occasional cases of unhealthy feces, do not sound the alarm, it depends on the diet. But if the symptoms become regular, you need to see a doctor, get tested and undergo the prescribed examination.

What should stool be like?

Normally, stool is considered normal if it has the consistency of toothpaste. It should be soft, brown, 10-20 cm long. Defecation should occur without much strain, easily. Small deviations from this description should not immediately cause alarm. Stool (or feces) can change depending on lifestyle and dietary errors. Beets give the output a red color, and fatty foods make the stool foul-smelling, too soft and floating. You need to be able to independently evaluate all the characteristics (shape, color, consistency, buoyancy), let's talk about this in more detail.

Color

Types of stool vary in color. It can be brown (healthy color), red, green, yellow, white, black:

• Red color. This color may result from ingesting food coloring or beets. In other cases, the stool becomes red due to bleeding in the lower intestine. Everyone's biggest fear is cancer, but this can often be associated with diverticulitis or hemorrhoids.
• Green color. A sign of the presence of bile. Stool moving too quickly through the intestines does not have time to turn brown. A green tint is a consequence of taking iron supplements or antibiotics, eating large amounts of greens rich in chlorophyll, or supplements such as wheatgrass, chlorella, spirulina. Dangerous causes of green stool are celiac disease or syndrome
• Yellow. Yellow feces are a sign of infection. This also indicates gallbladder dysfunction, when there is not enough bile and excess fat appears.
• White color feces are a sign of diseases such as hepatitis, bacterial infection, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, cancer. The cause may be stones in gallbladder. Stool does not stain due to bile obstruction. The white color of feces can be considered harmless if the day before you took barium before an x-ray examination.
• Black color or dark green indicates possible bleeding in the upper intestine. A sign is considered harmless if it is a consequence of consuming certain foods (lots of meat, dark vegetables) or iron.

Form

The shape of your stool can also tell you a lot about your internal health. Thin stool (resembling a pencil) should alert you. Perhaps some kind of obstruction is blocking the passage in the lower part of the intestine or there is pressure from the outside on the colon. This could be some kind of neoplasm. In this case, it is necessary to perform a colonoscopy to exclude a diagnosis such as cancer.

Hard and small feces indicate the presence of constipation. The cause may be an inadequate diet that excludes fiber. It is necessary to eat foods high in fiber, physical exercise, take flaxseed or psyllium husk - all this helps improve intestinal motility and ease stool.

Stool that is too soft and clings to the toilet contains too much oil. This indicates that the body does not absorb it well. You may even notice oil droplets floating. In this case, it is necessary to check the condition of the pancreas.

In small doses, mucus in the stool is normal. But if there is too much of it, it may indicate the presence of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.

Other characteristics

According to its characteristics, feces in an adult are directly related to lifestyle and nutrition. What causes an unpleasant odor? Pay attention to what you've been eating more frequently lately. A foul odor is also associated with taking certain medications and can manifest itself as a symptom of some kind of inflammatory process. In cases of food absorption disorders (Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease), this symptom also appears.

Floating stool in itself should not be a cause for concern. If the floating stool has a very unpleasant odor or contains a lot of fat, this is a symptom of poor absorption of nutrients in the intestines. In this case, body weight is quickly lost.

A coprogram is...

Chyme, or food gruel, moves through the gastrointestinal tract and fecal masses are formed in the large intestine. At all stages, splitting occurs, and then absorption useful substances. The composition of the stool helps determine whether there are any abnormalities in internal organs. helps identify a variety of diseases. A coprogram is the conduct of chemical, macroscopic, microscopic studies, after which a detailed description of the feces is given. Coprograms can identify certain diseases. These may be disorders of the stomach, pancreas, intestines; inflammatory processes in the digestive tract, dysbacteriosis, malabsorption, colitis.

Bristol scale

English doctors at the Royal Hospital in Bristol have developed a simple but unique scale that characterizes all the main types of feces. Its creation was the result of the fact that experts were faced with the problem that people are reluctant to open up about this topic; embarrassment prevents them from talking in detail about their stool. Based on the developed drawings, it became very easy to independently characterize your own bowel movements without any embarrassment or awkwardness. The Bristol Stool Shape Scale is currently used throughout the world to assess performance. digestive system. For many, printing a table (types of feces) on the wall in your own toilet is nothing more than a way to monitor your health.

1st type. Sheep feces

It is called so because it is shaped like hard balls and resembles sheep feces. If for animals this is a normal result of intestinal function, then for humans such stool is an alarm signal. Sheep pellets are a sign of constipation and dysbacteriosis. Hard feces can cause hemorrhoids, damage to the anus, and even lead to intoxication of the body.

2nd type. Thick sausage

What does the appearance of stool indicate? This is also a sign of constipation. Only in this case are bacteria and fibers present in the mass. It takes several days to form such a sausage. Its thickness exceeds the width of the anus, so emptying is difficult and can lead to cracks and tears, hemorrhoids. It is not recommended to self-prescribe laxatives, as sudden release of feces can be very painful.

3rd type. Sausage with cracks

Very often people consider such stools to be normal, because they pass easily. But make no mistake. Hard sausage is also a sign of constipation. When defecating, you have to strain, which means there is a possibility of anal fissures. In this case, it is possible that there is

4th type. Ideal chair

The diameter of the sausage or snake is 1-2 cm, the feces are smooth, soft, and easily amenable to pressure. Regular bowel movements once a day.

5th type. Soft balls

This type is even better than the previous one. A few soft pieces form and come out gently. Usually occurs with a large meal. Stool several times a day.

6th type. Unshaped chair

The feces come out in pieces, but unformed, with torn edges. Comes out easily without hurting anus. This is not diarrhea yet, but it is already a condition close to it. The reasons for this type of stool may be laxative medications, increased blood pressure, excessive consumption of spices, as well as mineral water.

7th type. Loose stool

Watery stools that do not include any particles. Diarrhea requiring identification of causes and treatment. This is an abnormal condition of the body that needs treatment. There can be many reasons: fungi, infections, allergies, poisoning, liver and stomach diseases, poor diet, helminths and even stress. In this case, you should not postpone your visit to the doctor.

The act of defecation

Each organism is characterized by an individual frequency of bowel movements. Normally, this is from three times a day to three bowel movements a week. Ideally - once a day. Many factors affect our intestinal motility, and this should not be a cause for concern. Traveling, nervous tension, diet, taking certain medications, illness, surgery, childbirth, physical activity, sleep, hormonal changes - all this can be reflected in our stool. It is worth paying attention to how the act of defecation occurs. If excessive efforts are made, this indicates certain problems in the body.

Feces in children

Many mothers are interested in what baby’s stool should be like. This factor is worth paying attention to Special attention, since in early age Gastrointestinal diseases are especially difficult. At the first suspicion, you should contact your pediatrician immediately.

In the first days after birth, meconium (dark color) comes out of the body. During the first three days, it begins to mix in. On the 4-5th day, feces completely replace meconium. During breastfeeding, golden-yellow stool is a sign of the presence of bilirubin, paste-like, homogeneous, and has an acidic reaction. At the 4th month, bilirubin is gradually replaced by stercobilin.

Types of feces in children

With various pathologies, there are several types of feces in children, which you need to know about in order to prevent various diseases and unpleasant consequences in time.

• "Hungry" feces. The color is black, the smell is unpleasant. Occurs with improper feeding or fasting.
• Acholic feces. Whitish-gray color, discolored, clayey. With epidemic hepatitis, biliary atresia.
• Putrefactive. Pasty, dirty gray, with unpleasant smell. Occurs during protein feeding.
• Soapy. Silvery, shiny, soft, with mucus. When feeding with undiluted cow's milk.
• Fatty feces. With a sour odor, whitish, a little mucus. When consuming excess fat.

• Constipation. Gray color, hard consistency, putrid odor.
• Watery yellow stool. When breastfeeding due to a lack of nutrients in mother's milk.
• Pasty, thin stool, yellow color. It is formed due to excessive feeding of cereals (for example, semolina).
• Feces for dyspepsia. With mucus, coagulated, yellow-green in color. Occurs when there is an eating disorder.

Normal stool in an adult

Normal stool in an adult displays Good work digestive system. This may sound like a joke, but in order to monitor your health, you also need to be able to understand what normal poop should be like and what changes in stool indicate. But how many of us are aware of what an adult’s stool should look like? First of all, we should be interested in:

• Bowel movement frequency
• Shape of stool
• Stool color

How many times do you go to the toilet in general?

The norm for bowel movement is one full trip to the toilet per day, when a person feels not partial, but complete bowel movement. Sometimes there is more frequent bowel movements. Often bowel movements occur 2-3 times a day. This suggests that the person's metabolism is faster or that they have consumed food that has a natural laxative effect. More frequent bowel movements (more than 3 times a day) indicate that you are experiencing diarrhea, which we will discuss below.

There is an opinion that bowel movement once every couple of days is normal, but this controversial issue. Emptying your bowels is The best way for the body to get rid of toxins, acids and other unnecessary substances that may accumulate inside, so ideally this process should occur daily.

What kind of feces are there? Stool shape (Bristol scale)

type 1 type 2 type 3 type 4 type 5 type 6 type 7

Properly formed normal feces ensure that the process of digesting food and absorbing nutrients, as well as eliminating toxins and other waste, occurs without any disruption. The Bristol Stool Shape Scale gives an idea of ​​what a healthy person's stool should look like.

Type 1: Watery stools without particles

Type 2: Fuzzy "fluffy" stool with ragged edges

Type 3: Soft drops with clear, jagged edges (comes out easily)

Type 4: Smooth and soft sausage

Type 5: Like a sausage, but with cracks on the surface

Type 6: Sausage shape, but lumpy and lumpy

Type 7: Individual small lumps, small balls that come out with difficulty

The best option is Type 4. Ideal sausage-shaped poop comes out easily and smells more like overripe fruit than something terrible. The feces should come out easily and fall gently into the water.

• If feces are poorly washed off the walls of the toilet, it contains undigested fats.
• If the feces do not sink, there is either a lot of gases, or fiber, or undigested fats.
• If it falls sharply and with a splash, there is a lack of dietary fiber.

Type 5 is better than Type 2 and 3. Diarrhea is difficult to control and its causes are sometimes not easy to eliminate. Diarrhea prevents the body from absorbing essential nutrients.

• Pasty feces may indicate inflammatory processes in the intestines and malabsorption.
• Foamy feces are fermentation processes in the intestines.
• Lumpy stool may indicate insufficient water intake.

What color should stool be? Stool color

Keep in mind that some foods and food dyes may change the color of stool.

• Normal stool is medium to dark brown in color.
• If your stool is black, it may be the result of consuming currants or blueberries. Or blood gets into it in the upper sections gastrointestinal tract- in this case you need to see a doctor.
• Beets make stool reddish.
• A huge amount of greenery is green.
• Carrots and a large amount of beta keratins make it orange.
• The gray-white color of stool indicates a disorder such as bile not entering the intestines.
• Green stool can occur as a result of taking antibiotics and iron supplements. If the green color of the stool is not associated with the intake of foods and medications, then the reason is poor digestion. If the digestion process occurs too quickly, bile does not have time to be processed along with food and turns the stool green.

Loose stools. What to do?

If you have soft, too frequent, loose stools for a long time, this indicates a malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract. To get rid of diarrhea, you need to understand the cause of its occurrence. Try to strengthen your stool with foods that strengthen it. These are unripe bananas, applesauce, rice, fatty meat, broth, baked goods, mashed potatoes.

An excellent home remedy for diarrhea is black peppercorns. Depending on your body weight, take 10-15 pieces and swallow with water.

When diarrhea continues for more than three days or there is blood in it, you need to consult a doctor and have a detailed stool test done.

Constipation

If your stool is too rare and hard on a regular basis, consulting a doctor is a must. In case of infrequent manifestations, you need to drink more water, eat more vegetables, and add foods to your diet that have a natural laxative effect. Plums, apricots, raw zucchini, beets help well, vegetable oils, prunes. If you haven't had a bowel movement for a couple of days, it's better to do an enema.

How to adjust stool in an adult

1. Toilet pose!

Toilets are a relatively recent invention of mankind. Just sitting on the toilet like a chair is not the best option for doing your big things. In the picture you can see that in this position the rectum is pinched, which forces us to make efforts during defecation, which puts pressure on the rectal veins. This can lead to consequences in the form of hemorrhoids and other diseases.

From an anatomically correct point of view, a person should empty his bowels on cards. But we live in modern civilization and are not going to get rid of toilets, so you can get a little used to it to make the position more correct. You can put your feet on a small hill. The point is to raise your legs so that the position is close to the squatting position, when the legs in relation to the body are not at a right angle, but at a sharper angle.

2. Schedule

Introduce a daily morning ritual of sitting on the toilet for 15 minutes every morning. Try to completely relax during this time, you can read something. This way you will train your body to get rid of waste every day and you will be able to establish regular bowel movements.

3. Drink more fluids

The body needs water for all systems in general, in particular the large intestine needs it to form stool, which consists of 75% of it. People who get enough fluids are least likely to experience constipation and have normal bowel movements.

Everyone knows that a sedentary lifestyle brings little health benefits, and a person needs more movement and physical activity, including in order to go to the toilet well and have normal bowel movements.

5. Of course, proper nutrition!

We try to eat natural food. You need to consume enough vegetables every day because they contain the necessary fiber that improves digestion and maintains normal bowel movements, vegetable oils, organic meat, eggs and dairy products.

How to poop discreetly in other people's toilets, at work and at a party

How to poop correctly (Video). Malysheva

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Chair or feces- This is the contents of the lower parts of the colon, which is the end product of digestion and is excreted from the body during bowel movements.

Individual stool characteristics can tell a lot about a person's health and help in making a diagnosis.
Below are interpretations of stool quality in normal and pathological conditions.

1. Number of bowel movements.
Norm: regularly, 1-2 times a day, but at least 1 time in 24-48 hours, without prolonged strong straining, painless. After defecation, the urge disappears, a feeling of comfort and complete bowel movement occurs. External circumstances can increase or inhibit the frequency of the urge to defecate. This is a change in the usual environment, a forced position in bed, the need to use a bedpan, being in the company of other people, etc.
Changes: Lack of bowel movements for several days (constipation) or too frequent bowel movements - up to 5 times or more (diarrhea).

2. Daily amount of feces
Norm: With a mixed diet, the daily amount of feces fluctuates within a fairly wide range and averages 150-400 g. Thus, when eating predominantly plant foods, the amount of feces increases, while in an animal that is poor in “ballast” substances, it decreases.
Changes: Significant increase (more than 600 g) or decrease in the amount of feces.
Reasons for increasing the amount of feces (polyfecal):

• Consuming large amounts of plant fiber.
• Increased intestinal peristalsis, in which food is poorly absorbed due to its too rapid movement through the intestinal tract.
• Disruption of digestive processes (digestion or absorption of food and water) in small intestine(malabsorption, enteritis).
• Decreased exocrine function of the pancreas in chronic pancreatitis (insufficient digestion of fats and proteins).
• Insufficient amount of bile entering the intestines (cholecystitis, cholelithiasis).

Reasons for reducing the amount of feces:

• Constipation, in which due to prolonged retention of feces in the large intestine and maximum absorption of water, the volume of feces decreases.
• Reducing the amount of food eaten or predominantly digestible foods in the diet.

3. Passing feces and floating in water.
Normal: feces should be released easily, and in water it should sink gently to the bottom.
Changes:

• If there is insufficient amount of dietary fiber in food (less than 30 grams per day), feces are released quickly and splash into the water of the toilet.
• If the stool floats, this indicates that it has an increased amount of gases or contains too much undigested fat (malabsorption). Also, stool may float if you eat a lot of fiber.
• If the stool is difficult to flush out cold water from the walls of the toilet, which means it contains a large amount of undigested fat, which happens with pancreatitis.

4. Stool color
Normal: With a mixed diet, the stool is brown. Breastfed babies have golden-yellow or yellow stools.
Change in stool color:

• Dark brown - with a meat diet, constipation, impaired digestion in the stomach, colitis, putrefactive dyspepsia.
• Light brown - with a dairy-vegetable diet, increased intestinal motility.
• Light yellow - indicates too rapid passage of feces through the intestines, which do not have time to change color (diarrhea) or impaired bile secretion (cholecystitis).
• Reddish - when eating beets, when bleeding from the lower intestines, for example. for hemorrhoids, anal fissures, ulcerative colitis.
• Orange – when consuming the vitamin beta-carotene, as well as foods high in beta-carotene (carrots, pumpkin, etc.).
• Green - with a large amount of spinach, lettuce, sorrel in food, with dysbacteriosis, increased intestinal motility.
• Tarry or black - when eating currants, blueberries, as well as bismuth preparations (Vikalin, Vikair, De-Nol); for bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract ( peptic ulcer, cirrhosis, colon cancer), when swallowing blood during nosebleeds or pulmonary bleeding.
• Greenish-black - when taking iron supplements.
• Grayish-white stool means that bile is not entering the intestines (bile duct blockage, acute pancreatitis, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver).

5. Consistency (density) of feces.
Normal: shaped and soft. Normally, stool consists of 70% water, 30% from the remains of processed food, dead bacteria and desquamated intestinal cells.
Pathology: mushy, dense, liquid, semi-liquid, putty-like.
Change in stool consistency.

• Very dense feces (sheep) - for constipation, spasms and stenosis of the colon.
• Mushy feces - with increased intestinal motility, increased secretion in the intestines during inflammation.
• Ointment-like – for diseases of the pancreas ( chronic pancreatitis), a sharp decrease in the flow of bile into the intestines ( cholelithiasis, cholecystitis).
• Clay or putty-like feces are gray in color - with a significant amount of undigested fat, which is observed when there is difficulty in the outflow of bile from the liver and gallbladder (hepatitis, blockage of the bile duct).
• Liquid – in case of impaired digestion of food in the small intestine, impaired absorption and accelerated passage of feces.
• Foamy - with fermentative dyspepsia, when fermentation processes in the intestines prevail over all others.
• Liquid stool type pea puree- for typhoid fever.
• Liquid, colorless stools like rice water - with cholera.
• When the stool has a liquid consistency and frequent bowel movements, one speaks of diarrhea.
• Liquid-mushy or watery stools can occur with high water consumption.
• Yeasty stool - indicates the presence of yeast and may have the following characteristics: curdled, foamy stools like rising sourdough, may have strings like melted cheese, or have a yeasty odor.

6. Shape of feces.
Standard: cylindrical, sausage-shaped. The stool should come out continuously, like toothpaste, and be about the length of a banana.
Changes: ribbon-shaped or in the form of dense balls (sheep feces) is observed with insufficient daily water intake, as well as spasms or narrowing of the large intestine.

7. The smell of feces.
Normal: fecal, unpleasant, but not harsh. It is due to the presence of substances in it that are formed as a result of bacterial breakdown of proteins and volatile fatty acids. Depends on the composition of the food and the severity of the processes of fermentation and decay. Meat foods give off a pungent odor, while dairy foods give off a sour odor.
If digestion is poor, undigested food simply rots in the intestines or becomes food for pathogenic bacteria. Some bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide, which has a characteristic rotten odor.
Changes in stool odor.

• Sour – for fermentative dyspepsia, which occurs with excessive consumption of carbohydrates (sugar, flour products, fruits, peas, etc.) and fermented drinks, such as kvass.
• Fetid - with impaired pancreatic function (pancreatitis), decreased flow of bile into the intestines (cholecystitis), hypersecretion of the large intestine. Very foul-smelling stool may be due to bacterial overgrowth
• Putrefactive – in case of indigestion in the stomach, putrefactive dyspepsia associated with excessive consumption of protein products that are slowly digested in the intestines, colitis, constipation.
• The smell of rancid oil is due to bacterial decomposition of fats in the intestines.
• Faint odor - with constipation or accelerated evacuation from the small intestine.

8. Intestinal gases.
Normal: Gases are a natural by-product of the digestion and fermentation of food as it moves through the gastrointestinal tract. During and outside of bowel movements, 0.2-0.5 liters of gas are removed from the intestines of an adult per day.
The formation of gas in the intestines occurs as a result of the vital activity of microorganisms inhabiting the intestines. They decompose various nutrients, releasing methane, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. The more undigested food enters the colon, the more active the bacteria are and the more gases are produced.
An increase in the amount of gases is normal.

• when eating large amounts of carbohydrates (sugar, baked goods);
• when eating foods that contain a lot of fiber (cabbage, apples, legumes, etc.);
• when consuming foods that stimulate fermentation processes (brown bread, kvass, beer);
• when consuming dairy products if you are lactose intolerant;
• when swallowing large amounts of air while eating and drinking;
• when drinking large amounts of carbonated drinks

An increase in the amount of gases in pathology.

• Enzyme deficiency of the pancreas, in which food digestion is impaired (chronic pancreatitis).
• Intestinal dysbiosis.
• Irritable bowel syndrome.
• Gastritis, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.
• Chronic liver diseases: cholecystitis, hepatitis, cirrhosis.
• Chronic intestinal diseases – enteritis, colitis
• Malabsorption.
• Celiac disease.

Difficulty in passing gases.

• intestinal obstruction;
• intestinal atony with peritonitis;
• some acute inflammatory processes in the intestines.

9. Stool acidity.
Normal: with a mixed diet, acidity is 6.8–7.6 pH and is due to the vital activity of the colon microflora.
Changes in stool acidity:

• sharply acidic (pH less than 5.5) – with fermentative dyspepsia.
• acidic (pH 5.5 - 6.7) - if the absorption of fatty acids in the small intestine is impaired.
• alkaline (pH 8.0 - 8.5) - with rotting of undigested food proteins and activation of putrefactive microflora with the formation of ammonia and other alkaline substances in the colon, with impaired pancreatic secretion, colitis.
• sharply alkaline (pH more than 8.5) - for putrefactive dyspepsia.

Normally, feces should not contain blood, mucus, pus, or undigested food residues.

First, my own aunt got hooked, then other relatives started getting hooked. I had not heard about this before, and when I heard it, I was skeptical (after all, I have a certain attitude towards medicine). Now this is some kind of epidemic called “Nisha’s health system,” and it is “preached” by Maya Gogulan, an aunt who allegedly herself was cured of a terrible disease. (Google it if you want details).
I read half a page of her works, but didn’t go any further (it was very reminiscent of the “works” of Gennady Petrovich Malakhov and Dr. Popov)
Here is an excerpt from the chapter “Cleansing the Colon”:

“We lived for a long time as we had to. We ate, drank, and behaved not as we should. We were deprived of the necessary human norms, often out of ignorance, and not because of the difficulty of implementing them. So we accumulated a lot of “dirt” in our body - poisons, toxins and deposits.Many diseases come to us through food.
We don’t think about the fact that different foods require different times to digest and release different juices. By eating as we have to, what we have to, and when we have to, we accumulate undigested parts of foods in the large intestine, which accumulate for decades in the folds-pockets of the large intestine.
A person reaching the age of 25 carries from 8 to 25 kg. such fecal debris.
You can imagine what happens to these products that are “stored” for many years at a temperature of 37 degrees.

How do you feel about this kind of self-medication “methods”?

P.S.: by the way, after a month, my grandmother’s legs stopped hurting (diabetic polyneuropathy with experience)...

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