You Might Be Flushing Away This Important Health Warning

Flushing the toilet after going to the bathroom is a crucial (and polite) part of our routines, but what you flush down the toilet can yield important clues about your health. Many people don't like to talk about it, but poop is a fact of life. Stool contains digested food, bacteria from the gut, and other substances that can shed light on our habits and the inner workings of the body. Similarly, your bathroom schedule and any changes to it serve as indicators of your diet and overall health. 

Each individual has a normal range of times they have a bowel movement each week. Going too infrequently or too often, or seeing persistent changes from your normal routine, could highlight the need for lifestyle changes such as eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking more water, or getting more exercise. However, it could also indicate an underlying health issue, or even be an early sign of different kinds of cancer.

A 2024 study looked at bowel movement frequency and how it related to health in a sample of 1,425 people who had no history of kidney disease or gastrointestinal issues like irritable bowel syndrome. The researchers placed each subject into one of four categories, which included people who pooped once or twice a week (constipation), those who went three to six times a week (low-normal), those who had a bowel movement one to three times per day (high-normal), and people who had four or more watery stools per day (diarrhea).

The researchers analyzed subjects' demographic information along with data from blood and stool samples. They observed that women, younger subjects, and people with lower body mass index values reported less frequent bowel movements. Their analysis also found that people in the constipation and diarrhea groups were more likely to have underlying health issues. People who frequently had diarrhea had indications of liver damage in their blood samples and their stool samples contained bacteria more commonly found in the stomach and small intestine. Stool samples from the constipation group showed higher levels of bacteria associated with protein fermentation, the products of which can lead to kidney damage over time.

Just as urine color can reveal the truth about your health, the physical properties of stool can also yield important clues. For instance, hard stools that are shaped like small rocks or pebbles are a sign of constipation, indicating a possible need for more dietary fiber or water consumption.

Odd colors are also a telltale sign. Black stools are a sign of using iron supplements or certain medications; however, it can also be a sign of bleeding in the stomach or small intestine. Food dyes and certain foods can also cause changes in color. For example, red stools can happen after eating beets, but bright red could also indicate bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal tract. 

Oily or greasy stools could mean you're having trouble digesting fat, pointing to pancreas issues. Stools that are consistently thin could point to a blockage in the colon. Both of these could indicate health issues that need to be checked.

It may not be the stuff of polite conversation, but the frequency and properties of bowel movements, and any changes that occur to them, are good things to keep track of. Flushing is the civilized thing to do, but it's a good idea to take a quick look before you flush.