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Crohn’s Disease and Other Digestive Disorders

The Many Varieties of Poop

Feces. Stool. Excrement. These are all more formal words for what remains after the digestive system has finished with your food—poop, in other words. It might be impolite to talk about stool, but it is perfectly normal to notice what your stool looks like. A recent French study found that more than 50 percent of study participants “inspected their feces” in the toilet at least half of the time they used the bathroom! For doctors trying to diagnose or treat

digestive diseases and disorders, a person’s stool provides valuable information. Doctors may ask for a stool sample. They may ask about frequency, or how often you poop. They may also ask about the consistency of stools—whether your poop is hard or soft, solid or liquid, in large or small pieces. In 1997 researchers developed the Bristol Stool Chart to help patients and doctors categorize their poop on a scale from 1 to 7. Stools on the lower end of the scale have generally taken longer to pass through the gut. They are associated with constipation. Those on the higher end have traveled more quickly, leaving the body before the colon has had time to absorb liquid. They are associated with diarrhea. A too-rapid transit of food through the gut can be a sign of inflammation in the small or large intestines.

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