Constipation
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(iv) What accounts for the stool odour? – The normal odour comes from hydrogen sulphide and other compounds produced by bacteria in the colon. Some people have more of these bacteria. Foods high in sulfur (cauliflower, cabbage and related vegetables) can produce a stronger odour.
(v) What gives stool its colour? – Normal stool colour ranges from pale to dark brown, because of pigments formed when intestinal bacteria break down bile. Constipation often makes stool darker, as can iron supplements. Red or green foods can also colour the stool.
(vi) What does the colour of stool indicate? – Many medical conditions can affect stool. White or grey stool may indicate liver disease, dark or bloody stool can indicate internal bleeding, including hemorrhoids, tar-like black stool may be the result of gastrointestinal bleeding. Bright red blood may indicate that you have hemorrhoids, but rectal bleeding may also be a symptom of more serious disease. Any unusual, painful, or unexplained bowel symptom that persists for a week or more calls for medical evaluation.
(vii) Why does stool often float? – Stool floats because it contains something less dense than water – gas. Floating stool was once seen as a sign of fat in the stool, caused by mal-absorption, but this is not the case. Gas is produced by intestinal bacteria acting on undigested food, particularly beans and other vegetables and fibrous foods that contain types of sugars called oligosaccharides. Diarrhoea can also temporarily produce floating stool.
constipation and infants
8. Constipation can have its beginnings very early. The normal breast-fed child will have a bowel movement approximately 20 minutes after the start of a feed. This is quickly learned by mothers who breast-feed their infants without first making sure they have diapers on. This bowel action is a true physiological reflex.
9. Over time, as solid foods are introduced, this reflex becomes less sensitive and can be affected by the type of foods consumed. Mothers soon become aware of these effects and use foods such as bananas to harden the stool and slow transit time, or prunes, apple juice, apricots and papayas to soften them and encourage a bowel movement. Later, as the child is weaned and cow’s milk is introduced, bowel movements become less regular and more difficult to regulate. Once the child is toilet trained, less attention is placed on regularity in some cases, and constipation may take hold. Unless the child is weaned to proper foods such as wholegrains, fruit and raw vegetables, the early years can set up a life-long constipation problem.
