Possible causes of blood in stool include.
Causes of dark red stool.
And if it s bright red the blood likely comes from the.
Food may be moving through the large intestine too quickly such as due to diarrhea.
This might cause darker brown stools due to the iron content of meat.
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Bleeding that happens higher up in the digestive tract may make stool appear black and tarry.
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Causes of red stool.
Find possible causes of blood in stool based on specific factors.
The cause of red stools or black stools could be nothing to worry about such as those that are caused by food coloring.
Find possible causes of symptoms in children and adults.
Blackberries blueberries or black licorice might cause the stool to look almost black due to the staining pigments of these foods.
Stool quality what it may mean possible dietary causes.
Dark red or maroon stool melana can be caused by consuming food that color the stool red such as beets or tomatoes 6 but can also be caused by bleeding in the lower intestinal tract 7.
Bright red blood or maroon colored stools usually.
Red diarrhea might occur if the food that a person eats causes food poisoning or irritates the stomach.
Eating dark blue or black colored foods.
Because often the cause cannot be determined it is wise to seek medical evaluation.
Other causes of red or reddish poop.
Blood is not the only cause of a red discoloration of the stool.
Your diet can affect the color of your stool such as the following.
What causes dark brown stool or diarrhea.
If you don t think your diet is the cause the red you see may be blood.
In fact if the stool is red for just one or two bowel movements and it does not occur again then it could be due to other causes apart from blood.
Several different types of food with natural or artificial coloring may cause red in the stool which looks like blood but it isn t.
Check food labels because a food might not appear red but may still have red food coloring in it.
Check one or more factors on this page that apply to your symptom.
As a result bile doesn t have time to break down completely.
Red stool causes that are not blood.
If your stool is bright red or black which may indicate the presence of blood seek prompt medical attention.
It s important to keep in mind however that red or black in the stool could be due to bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract stomach small intestine or large intestine.
