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Green Stool

From Cathy Wong,
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The liver constantly a bright green fluid called bile that is secreted into the small intestine or stored in the gallbladder.

Bile is needed to absorb fats and fat soluble vitamins. It also helps to soften stools and is responsible for giving stools their characteristic brown color.

As bile makes its way through the intestines, it progressively changes color from green to yellow to brown, due to the action of bacteria in the large intestine on the bile salts.

Green stool often indicates that food has passed through the intestines faster than normal (called decreased bowel transit time), before it could be changed from green to brown.

Diarrhea decreases bowel transit time, so any condition that causes diarrhea can result in green stool.

Other causes of green stool include:

  • Laxative use
  • Antibiotic use
  • Medication side effects
  • Food poisoning
  • Celiac disease
  • Ulcerative colitis
  • Crohn's disease
  • Malabsorption
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Bacterial overgrowth
  • Infectious diarrhea - especially salmonella and giardia
  • Traveler's diarrhea
  • Cancer

Foods and supplements that can cause green stool include:

  • Chlorophyll
  • Iron supplements
  • Algae

    Note: Speak with your doctor about any change in bowel movements.

  • Updated: September 19, 2007
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