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The color of stool in adults has a greenish tint. Green feces: causes in adults and children

The color of human stool depends on many factors. This includes diet, gastrointestinal tract activity, and the use of medications. Normally, the color of stool varies from light to dark brown. It is the brown tint of feces that indicates the health of the gastrointestinal tract. In particular, we are talking about the normal secretion of bile in an adult. Why does it become black, green or yellow? When should you be concerned, and when can a change in the color of your stool be attributed to your diet?

What determines the color of stool

Feces are a product of food processing in the body and are formed after the latter passes through the digestive tract. On this path, nutrients are absorbed, which become available after complex digestive processing, mainly in the stomach and intestines. This process produces non-metabolizable waste that forms feces.

Physiologically, they are brown in color, since bile entering the intestines from the liver is metabolized by bacterial flora and turns into bilirubin, and then into stercobilin, which gives the stool a brown color.

Causes of changes in stool color

Thus, under normal conditions, stool is brown in color with shades ranging from light to dark. The indicated color may in some cases differ and this situation is not always a sign of a painful condition. The color of stool, in fact, closely depends on several factors, namely:

  • Consumed products. Some foods, especially those rich in natural dyes, which remain unchanged in the digestive tract, are excreted in the feces, giving it their color. Several examples can be given. All green leafy vegetables such as broccoli are rich in chlorophyll, which can turn stool green. Beets are high in beta-carotene, which can cause dark red stool.
  • Taking dyes. Food coloring may be included in some foods. For example, blue Curacao, which has an intense blue color, is used to make cocktails, and ferric ferricyanide (also blue) is used as a medicine to treat poisoning from heavy metals such as cesium.
  • Functionality of the gastrointestinal tract. On the way between the mouth and anus, food, as already mentioned, undergoes a number of mechanical and chemical transformations under the influence of digestive juices, enzymes and bacteria. Disturbances in the functioning of this digestive chain often lead to changes in the color of stool.
  • Diseases. Some diseases can cause changes in the physiological concentration of enzymes and juices that are necessary for digestive processes and, therefore, determine changes in the composition and color of stool. Such changes may be a consequence, for example, of bleeding from the wall of the stomach and/or intestines.

Based on medical practice, the following stool colors may occur: brown, yellow, green, white/clay gray, black, red.

Yellow stool

When the excrement turns yellow, it indicates the presence of abundant undigested fats. This presence is a consequence of:

  • Diseases of the pancreas that reduce the concentration of enzymes in the intestines. An example of such diseases is chronic pancreatitis, which is usually a consequence of alcohol abuse. There is also the possibility of a blockage of the duct through which pancreatic enzymes are released into the intestine, which is almost always caused by a tumor.
  • Malabsorption disease. A common example is celiac disease (gluten intolerance), which interferes with the absorption of nutrients and causes bloating, diarrhea, and discolored stool. The consequences of such diseases are especially severe in children and adolescents.

Green stool

Green stool can have both pathological and non-pathological causes.

Non-pathological ones include:

  • Active consumption of foods rich in chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in all plants. Among the plants used for nutrition, all green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli, as well as arugula and parsley, are especially rich in chlorophyll.
  • Diarrhea is not of pathological etiology. Diarrhea reduces the transit time of intestinal contents. In bile, in addition to bilirubin, there is its precursor biliverdin, which has an intense green color. In the intestines, under the action of enzymes and bacteria, it is converted into bilirubin and then into stercobilin. If transit occurs too quickly (diarrhea effect), then transformation cannot occur and biliverdin turns the stool green. The most common non-pathological causes of diarrhea are antibiotics, excess non-ferrous metals, etc.

Pathological causes include celiac disease, intestinal inflammation and tumors. Green stool may also indicate liver problems. With the massive breakdown of red blood cells in the liver, a large amount of a substance is produced from their hemoglobin - the so-called bilirubin, which then enters the intestines and can give the stool a green or darker, even dark brown, color.

White or clay-gray stool

Food significantly influences the color of excrement. Sudden light color of stool can be caused by heavy consumption of fatty foods (butter, sour cream). Potatoes and white rice can have the same properties if you eat a lot of them the day before and without adding other foods. If the diet consisted more of meat foods, and you suddenly ate a large amount of plant foods, then the feces will become much lighter. When changing shade, first of all, remember your diet in previous days. It was probably nutrition that caused this phenomenon.

There are a number of medications that can cause lightening of excrement. These include:

  • antibiotics;
  • anti-inflammatory drugs;
  • antipyretics (Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol);
  • antifungal agents;
  • drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis;
  • gout medications;
  • drugs for the treatment of epilepsy.

If you have undergone an examination such as an x-ray of the gastrointestinal tract or other procedures in which it is necessary to take barium sulfate, then 2-3 days after the stool will very sharply lighten. When the barium is completely removed from the body, the excrement will return to its normal color.

The gray color of stool in combination with urine the color of “strong tea” is an alarming sign of the acute phase of hepatitis. Inflammation of the liver leads to disruption of the function of bile formation, which causes whitening of stool. With hepatitis, the bilirubin produced by the body is excreted through the kidneys and skin, so the urine becomes dark and the skin turns yellow.

This case suggests a lack or absence of bile in the intestines. Bile deficiency leads to a deficiency of bilirubin and, consequently, strecobilin, which determines the brown color of stool. This situation may be due to blockage of the bile ducts or pancreatic duct. The reasons for this may be gallstones or pancreatic tumors.

Black feces

Possible causes of black stool:

  • Excessive consumption of licorice. Liquorice is black in color and excessive consumption can stain excrement.
  • Taking iron supplements. They give the stool a black-gray color.
  • Therapy based on bismuth subsalicylate. Used to treat gastritis and abdominal pain. It turns black when it combines with sulfur in saliva.
  • Bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Bleeding from the walls of the esophagus, stomach and small intestine turns the stool black. The reason is that the blood has time to be partially digested. The causes of bleeding can be ulcers and tumors.

Red stool

Why does stool turn red? Possible reasons include:

  • Excessive consumption of foods containing natural red dye, i.e. tomatoes, beets and red fruits.
  • Bleeding of the lower gastrointestinal tract. The reasons that can lead to bleeding are varied. Some of the possibilities are intestinal polyps, colon cancer, hemorrhoids and anal fissures.
  • If the stool is dark red/brick in color, the bleeding is occurring in the upper part of the intestine just below the small intestine.

Symptoms associated with changes in stool color

The symptoms that accompany a change in stool color usually depend on the reasons that led to this situation. There are quite a few reasons, as we have seen. However, the most common symptoms are:

  • Diarrhea. Reduces intestinal transit time and is accompanied by green stool.
  • Stomach ache. May be associated with bleeding, which is most often accompanied by dark and tarry or red stool.
  • Weakness, dizziness and shortness of breath. As a result of anemia, which develops as a result of intestinal bleeding.
  • Jaundice. This disease is associated with blockage of the bile ducts and thus greyish-white stool.
  • Rumbling stomach and flatulence. Associated with malabsorption problems and therefore yellow and greasy stool.

Stool color in children

In newborns, in the first three days, bowel movements differ from normal feces, which appear by the 4-5th day of life. During breastfeeding, feces have a golden-yellow color due to the presence of bilirubin (from the 4th month, bilirubin is gradually replaced by stercobilin). When artificially fed with milk formulas, it acquires a thicker consistency, whitish color, a sharper odor, and an alkaline reaction; Its flora is diverse, E. coli predominates.

Depending on the age of the child, the nature of feeding, and the functional state of the intestines, feces have their own characteristics. So:

  • When fed with breast milk, which contains a lot of water and few nutrients, the stool is yellow, watery, and odorless.
  • When fed with insufficiently diluted cow's milk, the stool is silvery in color, shiny (soapy stool), soft, and contains small lumps of mucus on the surface.
  • with predominantly protein feeding, the feces are dirty gray in color, mushy, with a strong unpleasant odor (putrid feces).
  • when eating excess amounts of fatty foods or malabsorption of fat, the stool is whitish (fatty stool), with a sour odor, and a small amount of mucus.
  • With constipation, the stool is hard, gray, with a putrid odor.
  • with increased peristalsis and insufficient absorption of fat, the feces contain lumps of soap and an admixture of mucus (curdled feces).
  • When a breastfed child is hungry or undernourished, dark-colored “hungry stool” appears, sometimes liquid, with an unpleasant odor and an alkaline reaction.

Changes in feces in children are also observed in various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract:

  • With overfeeding, errors in nutrition, feeding that is not appropriate for age, dyspeptic stools appear, frequent, abundant, with mushy or watery foamy yellow-green stools containing white lumps of soaps and fatty acids, mucus.
  • With congenital atresia of the biliary tract, viral hepatitis, the feces are discolored, fatty, clayey (acholic feces).
  • With dysentery, the stool is thin, watery, and contains mucus and blood.
  • With celiac disease, the stool is light yellow or grayish, shiny, foamy, mushy, and extremely abundant.
  • In cystic fibrosis, the stool is copious, light-colored, foul-smelling, and contains a lot of neutral fat.
  • Melena in newborns is characterized by liquid, dark, crimson-tinged stool.

When to see a doctor

As we have seen, a change in the physiological color of feces is not always a disease; indeed, in many cases, there is a nutritional problem, without any consequences. However, this symptom should not be ignored in any case, because it may indicate serious illnesses.

Symptoms accompanying stool disorders require special attention:

  • pain syndrome (in any area of ​​the abdomen);
  • yellowness of the skin and icterus of the mucous membranes;
  • increased body temperature;
  • nausea and vomiting;
  • darkening of urine;
  • weight loss, loss of appetite;
  • bloating, increased abdominal volume;
  • noticeable deterioration in condition.

Identification of these symptoms is an indication for immediate consultation with a doctor and undergoing the necessary tests (bacteriological and biochemical analysis of stool, extended coprogram).

You should also contact your doctor immediately if:

  • Changes in stool color are permanent.
  • Changes in stool color recur periodically, after periods of stagnation.

Diagnosis of changes in stool color

Diagnosing the causes of changes in the color of feces is often a long and complex process. It assumes:

  • Anamnestic analysis.
  • Analysis of symptoms and signs.
  • Physical examination of the patient.
  • Blood tests, in particular, a complete blood count (to rule out anemia), liver function tests, and pancreatic enzyme levels.
  • Test for occult blood in the stool to find out if there is any bleeding.
  • Esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Clinical examination using an endoscope allows you to examine the esophagus, stomach and duodenum from the inside.
  • Colonoscopy. Using an endoscope can reveal polyps, injuries or tumors inside the colon.
  • Sometimes a CT scan or MRI may be needed to confirm the diagnosis of a tumor lesion.

Given the heterogeneity of the reasons that determine the color of stool, it is impossible to indicate a single remedy for the situation: therefore, first of all, we must determine the disease or habit that causes changes in the color of stool.

If you notice any changes in your stool, do not despair. You need to calmly figure everything out, and if necessary, resort to additional diagnostic methods (laboratory, instrumental studies) and the help of qualified specialists. They will be able to make a definitive diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment if necessary.

Children's problems are perceived with the greatest trepidation, but fortunately, most often they are not serious. They consist of irrational nutrition, and for healing you only need to choose the right diet. And in good condition, just observation is enough, and after a few days the stool will recover on its own.

It can cause real panic in an unprepared person. The first thing that comes to mind is the thought of poisoning, or even a tumor in the intestines or stomach. What actually causes the change in the color of excrement?

Possible reasons

Colors are a reason to think about your health. Doctors say that feces serve as a kind of indicator of the condition of the body. Of course, the reason may be quite harmless. Everyone knows that the basis of feces is the food we eat - it is this that largely determines their color. You've probably noticed more than once that beets turn the contents of the toilet bowl dark red. As for the green color, you may have eaten a product that contained an excess of green dye. By the way, dark green feces are often observed in vegetarians: the culprit is fresh greens, which form the basis of their diet.

Baby feces

I have a small cold, or teeth are being cut, or a tummy ache. Therefore, any changes in the color and consistency of feces in babies cause fair concern among parents. Often the first impulse is to grab the child in his arms and run to the doctor. However, you shouldn't do this. Do not forget that the little man’s body is still developing. Dark green stool in a baby can be caused by artificial feeding - this means that the milk formula you give him is not suitable in composition. Try replacing it with a similar product from another manufacturer. Another fairly common reason is dysbiosis. This disease is a real scourge among infants. It is caused by and is almost always accompanied by intestinal problems. It is natural that this affects the condition of feces.

Dark green stool in an adult

This phenomenon is observed not only in infants, but also in adults. It is not difficult to guess that it is - one way or another - connected with the state of the digestive system. Perhaps the person has impaired absorption of iron into the intestines. You accept. Then there is no doubt - this is the reason. In addition, a strange color of stool may indicate the presence of an inflammatory process or infection. In this case, it is caused by the accumulation of dead leukocytes removed from the body naturally. Also, green impurities are characteristic of gastric bleeding. If this symptom does not go away over a long period of time, you should be examined for stomach ulcers and gastritis. Finally, patients taking antibiotics often complain of green stool. By the way, this often becomes a predisposing factor to the occurrence of dysbacteriosis.

Solving the problem

If you are seriously concerned about your health, follow the advice of experts: pay attention to the accompanying signs. Are you suffering from bloating or gas? Do you feel pain after every meal? It would be advisable to test feces for dysbacteriosis. Do you feel nauseous, weak, or have a fever? You are clearly suffering from an infection. The doctor will be able to make an accurate diagnosis only after you pass all the necessary tests.

Our digestive system is somewhat reminiscent of a traffic light; digested food is formed into feces, which for some reason can take on different colors, including green, which we will talk about in this article. True, the color signals of feces have slightly different meanings compared to a traffic light. At the same time, their similarity is not only in color, but also in the fact that both of them tell us certain information to which we need to react. The appearance of green feces is not the norm; as a rule, such a symptom indicates a disruption in the functioning of our body. So let's figure out what caused the green poop?

Green feces - the reasons for its appearance

In almost all cases, green feces are associated with a violation of the digestive processes, have a liquid consistency, as well as frequent bowel movements. In order to determine the cause of liquid green feces, you need to understand the process of formation of the color of poop. To fully present the entire clinical picture, we will analyze everything in order.

Everyone knows the fact that the normal color of poop is brown. But few people have any idea why. The main role in the coloring of shit is played by bile, or rather stercobilin.

NOTE!

Stercobilin is a coloring pigment that, as a result of metabolic processes in the intestines, becomes brown and colors poop. You can read more about these processes in the article about possible ones.

Therefore, for some reason, the natural process of coloring the poop does not occur or something tints it, changing the color to green. There are a lot of these reasons and to identify the real cause, a comprehensive medical examination is necessary. Let's look at the main ones.

Pathological processes that cause green and dark green feces

Various types of inflammatory processes in the digestive system can provoke a change in the color of poop to dark green, as a result of which a large number of leukocytes die, they can give the poop a greenish tint. In this case, feces are accompanied by mucus and pus. Additionally, symptoms such as pain and cramping in the abdominal area and diarrhea may occur.

Liver dysfunction also causes changes in the color of stool. In this case, the characteristic color of the feces follows the massive breakdown of red blood cells, which provokes excessive production of bilirubin. Due to too many of these elements, the bilirubin does not have time to go through the complete breakdown process, which leads to green stool.

Dark green color of stool also occurs in the presence of bleeding. Diseases such as ulcers are quite capable of leading to this process. The green color of stool is due to the iron contained in the blood.

Disruption of intestinal microflora contributes to disruption of normal digestion of food in the intestine. This provokes the processes of rotting and fermentation of food, resulting in the formation of substances that contribute to the color of stool green. Dysbacteriosis can be triggered by taking antibiotics, stress and poor nutrition, or a sudden change in diet. An additional sign of dysbacteriosis is the smell - the poop smells like foulbrood.

Also, a change in the color of poop to green is often a sign of dysentery. In this case, there are accompanying symptoms of an infectious disease, such as fever, vomiting and nausea, abdominal pain, general weakness and malaise.

Green stool – as a result of pancreatic dysfunction

Quite often, liquid green feces are a consequence of a lack of pancreatic enzymes. It plays a very important role in the digestive chain. In the stomach, food undergoes primary processing, and then enters the duodenum, where further processing of food already occurs. The pancreas releases its enzymes, which dissolve food compounds into simpler components, which in turn allows the intestinal walls to absorb nutrients. When this process is disrupted, food is not digested. Due to the fact that the intestines cannot obtain nutrients from food, it soon begins to get rid of it, which leads to the fact that the feces do not have time to form and are excreted in liquid form - diarrhea. Diarrhea acquires a green color for the same reason, since all processes of substance formation do not have time to fully occur.

Some people manage to endure such illnesses for several months. But this does not lead to anything good. Since the body loses a lot of fluid and receives practically no nutrients. This leads to a general deterioration in health, dehydration and weight loss.

When is green poop not a cause for concern?

As you can see, green poop is not so harmless. But in some cases they do not indicate the presence of an illness.

  • Food contains a lot of dyes that color stool. You may have eaten a lot of food that contained green dyes. This could be soda, sweets, etc.
  • Did you happen to be drinking the other day? Drinking alcohol, especially in large quantities, causes the shit to change color to green. In particular, this is due to the fact that it affects the functioning of the liver and pancreas. If you nevertheless abused this harmful product the day before, it could cause temporary dysfunction of these organs.

ATTENTION!!!

Alcohol doesn’t just color your stool; along with the green shit, you’re wiping out your own brain cells! It has a detrimental effect on human brain activity, and also destroys internal organs, causing addiction and human degradation. We strongly recommend that you avoid this product completely!

  • Eating vegetables and fruits rich in chlorophyll or a vegetarian diet will camouflage your poop and it will be almost invisible in the grass. With vegetarian diets, feces usually take much longer to form than usual.

If the stool has acquired color as a result of the influence of the above factors, then your health should be within normal limits and the stool will acquire a normal color immediately after changing your diet.

Green stool in pregnant women

Now let’s look at why green stool occurs during pregnancy. Any mother wishes her child happiness and health. During pregnancy, her goal is to give birth to a healthy baby. For this, the body requires a large amount of nutrients and vitamins. Therefore, a pregnant woman’s diet contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals coming from plant foods and vitamin complexes. Excessive amounts of vitamins and minerals are not absorbed by the body and are excreted along with feces, which is what gives poop its green color. Please note that there should not be any other symptoms indicating the presence of pathology.

Green feces in a child - what's the matter?

Green poop is most often observed in infants. In most cases, this does not indicate the presence of pathology, but is a natural process of development of the infant’s body.

Let's consider the options and reasons that cause green stool in a baby:

  • In the first days of life, poop may have this color because it contains amniotic fluid and mucus. On the 4th day of life, this should pass.
  • In the first month, green stool occurs in a newborn due to adaptation of the digestive system. This is also a temporary effect.
  • When teeth begin to cut, saliva is produced in large quantities. This increases the release of bile, which gives the characteristic color. It is also possible to have stomach colic and fever. Just in case, it is better to consult a pediatrician, since ailments may also indicate some kind of abnormality in the functioning of internal organs or a disease.

If the cause of green stool in an infant is an illness, then accompanying symptoms in the form of deterioration in well-being should be shown.

In older children, the appearance of green feces can be caused by the same reasons as in an adult. We talked about them above.

The green signal of our body has a dual character: on the one hand, it is a sign of pathological changes, on the other, a change in diet. Our body immediately reacts to these processes and informs us so that we are aware and take action if necessary. Remember the main thing is that our stool should be brown in color. The green color of stool, along with other changes, in most cases is a sign of organ dysfunction and the presence of a disease. We specifically do not give any advice on possible treatment options so that you do not self-medicate over the Internet. Such actions do not lead to anything good. Doctors exist to establish the true causes of abnormal behavior of the body. And if you suspect something is wrong, then contact them. To make a correct diagnosis, a comprehensive examination is required.

Keep a close eye on your bowel movements. We wish you brown. Relieved!

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In adults, normal stool is usually brown due to bile pigments. Depending on the amount of pigments, the color of stool can vary widely from almost bleached white to black.

The color of stool may change when consuming various foods that are intensely colored. Changes in the color of stool are of great diagnostic importance, as this often occurs as a result of various pathological changes in the body.

In general, green stool is an important cause for concern. After all, feces are in many ways a kind of indicator of the body’s functioning, especially in children.

Why is stool green: causes in adults

What does this mean and for what reasons does it appear? Most often, green stool appears in a completely healthy person for the simple reason that he eats many foods that contain green dyes. Such dyes are not digested in the stomach, but gradually begin to color the stool itself dark green. And the more dye was eaten, the more intense the color of the stool will be.

This color of stool can cause:

  • green leafy crops: lettuce, dill, onion, broccoli, savoy cabbage, spinach;
  • caramel with coloring;
  • cereals and muesli;
  • sea ​​fish and red meat;
  • red beans;
  • black licorice;
  • fruit juices;
  • vegetable purees from a range of baby foods.

However, this coloration of stool also indicates gastrointestinal diseases. Diseases of the small intestine, dysbacteriosis, and taking antibiotics for a long period of time can give green color to stool. In this case, the disease is accompanied by an unpleasant putrefactive odor.

The green tint to stool is given by dead leukocytes, which accumulate in the intestines during an acute inflammatory process. If the patient has food in the small intestine, it is difficult to digest, which leads to putrefactive and fermentative processes in it and the formation of substances that color the stool green in adults.

Why is the stool green: pathological reasons

If we exclude the nutritional factor, then there are a number of other reasons that cause green stool to appear in adults. These factors may be associated with disorders of the intestines and other related organs and systems.

The most common ailments causing dark green stool, are:

  • food poisoning;
  • food allergies;
  • disruption of intestinal innervation;
  • malabsorption syndrome;
  • internal bleeding;
  • fructose and lactose intolerance;
  • thyrotoxicosis.

Sometimes this color of stool is observed in infectious inflammations and diseases, for example, in acute enterocolitis. In this case, the patient may also have vomiting and fever.

What to do?

If your stool has changed color due to certain foods, medications, or dietary supplements, no specific treatment is required. However, in all other cases, you should consult a doctor, especially if green stool is accompanied by fever, diarrhea or constipation, weight loss and general malaise.

Greenish-colored feces can be either a symptom of an incipient disease or a temporary phenomenon. The main thing is to establish the exact cause of such a change, and, if necessary, begin to take measures to restore it.

The black color of feces is caused by iron or bismuth compounds. In this case, bismuth compounds can enter the body exclusively from the outside - as part of medications. And iron can be endogenous or exogenous. Exogenous iron also enters the digestive tract as part of medications or vitamins. And endogenous iron in the lumen of the digestive tract appears when it is released from red blood cells, which occurs during internal bleeding.

The green color of stool is given by bilirubin compounds that enter the intestines as part of bile. When food contents move through the intestines at a normal speed, bilirubin compounds are oxidized to brown pigments, which give the stool its usual color. And if digestion is defective or the food bolus moves through the intestines very quickly, then bilirubin does not have time to turn into brown compounds and is excreted unchanged. This unoxidized bilirubin gives stool its dark green color.

Black-green feces always indicate trouble in the human body. Thus, liquid black-green stool (diarrhea) most often indicates an intestinal infection or other infectious disease. Very often, dysentery begins with black-green diarrhea.

Such black-green diarrhea at the very beginning of the development of the disease may not be combined with a rise in temperature, abdominal pain, nausea and other symptoms of infection. But gradually, the listed clinical symptoms of infection will join the liquid stool, colored black and green. Therefore, as soon as a person notices the discharge of black-green liquid stool, it is necessary to urgently seek medical help and not wait for the temperature to appear, since the condition will worsen in the future, and the infectious disease will still require treatment.

Chronic mild bleeding, which is a complication of gastric or duodenal ulcers, can also give a black-green color to normal, well-formed stools. Also, this type of bleeding can be observed with malignant neoplasms of the stomach, esophagus or duodenum. In this situation, iron compounds enter the intestines from the stomach constantly, since slight blood loss occurs every minute. In the intestines, some of the iron compounds are completely oxidized and turn the stool black. And the other part of the iron compounds is not completely oxidized and gives the stool a green tint. This is how black-green feces end up.

Also, the black-green color of stool of normal consistency can be detected in various liver diseases with symptoms of a decrease in the functional activity of the organ, for example, fibrosis, cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, hepatosis, etc. This is due to the fact that hemoglobin, which is normal, breaks down in the liver used to form new red blood cells. When the liver is not able to utilize all the released hemoglobin to form new red blood cells, it breaks down and releases iron compounds into the duodenum. As a result, these iron compounds are partially oxidized completely and partially incompletely. Fully oxidized iron compounds are black, while under-oxidized ones are green. As a result, a person produces black-green feces, colored in this specific way by iron compounds of varying degrees of oxidation.

In addition, black-green feces can be released due to a combination of bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract (from the esophagus, stomach or duodenum) and severe dysbiosis, which leads to incomplete digestion of food, as well as fermentation and putrefaction processes in the intestines.

Black-green stool does not occur in infants. Babies may have green, black, or green-yellow stool.