What your poop can tell you about your health - Hannibal Person — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:07The average person poops out approximately 11,030 kilograms of cumulative waste.
2. 0:13That's the equivalent of more than six SUVs.
3. 0:16Now, oftentimes, that poop is brown.
4. 0:18But why is that, considering all the colorful comestibles one consumes?
5. 0:24And what's going on when poop appears in different colors and textures?
6. 0:28Say you’re eating a beautiful, rainbowy salad.
7. 0:31Your teeth and saliva first help break down the food and add lubrication.
8. 0:37Each bite enters your esophagus
9. 0:39and sequential muscle contractions push it towards your stomach.
10. 0:43There, the mixture combines with the clear, hydrochloric acid
11. 0:48and enzyme-packed digestive juices your stomach started secreting
12. 0:54as you prepared to eat.
13. 0:56These juices further degrade your food, and once your stomach stops churning,
14. 1:01its partially digested contents, called chyme,
15. 1:05slowly empty into your small intestine.
16. 1:08Your pancreas releases another clear fluid loaded with even more enzymes,
17. 1:13which get to work breaking carbohydrates down into monosaccharides,
18. 1:18and proteins into amino acids and peptides.
19. 1:23At this point, your liver also sends in bile,
20. 1:27which is tinted yellow.
21. 1:29It contains salts that help separate the fats from your food
22. 1:33so enzymes can also transform them into smaller units,
23. 1:37like monoglycerides and fatty acids.
24. 1:40Specific intestinal cells can then absorb these nutrients into the bloodstream.
25. 1:46Bile is especially important on the color front.
26. 1:50The reason it's yellow is because one of its major components is bilirubin,
27. 1:56a yellowy compound produced by the breakdown of hemoglobin,
28. 2:00the protein that helps your red blood cells transport oxygen.
29. 2:05By this point, the digestive system has broken down
30. 2:08and absorbed lots of nutrients and added bile to the mix,
31. 2:12so we’ve gone from a rainbow medley to a greenish-yellow liquid.
32. 2:17But the transformation isn’t yet complete.
33. 2:19This mixture then reaches the large intestine,
34. 2:22where microbes break the bilirubin down into stercobilin.
35. 2:27This compound is brown, and it's what lends poop its classic color.
36. 2:32The large intestine then absorbs excess water,
37. 2:35and the semi-solid brown mass is soon ready for excretion.
38. 2:40But of course, it doesn’t always go this way.
39. 2:43Our bodies have a hard time processing certain pigments.
40. 2:49Red beets, for example, are packed with betanins—
41. 2:53large, pigmented molecules that our bodies only absorb about half the time,
42. 2:59leading to red-tinged waste.
43. 3:02Indeed, loading up on any one kind of colorful food
44. 3:06can overwhelm the usual processes that degrade and absorb the pigment,
45. 3:11resulting in poos of different hues.
46. 3:13Meanwhile, certain medicines that treat upset stomachs may contain bismuth,
47. 3:19which reacts with sulfur in the digestive tract to form bismuth sulfide,
48. 3:24turning poop pitch-black.
49. 3:27None of these color shift scenarios are cause for concern,
50. 3:31but some changes in poop characteristics
51. 3:34can indicate when something’s not quite right.
52. 3:37Ideally, poop is brown, semi-soft, sausage shaped, and easy to pass.
53. 3:43Constipation can be a sign of dehydration, insufficient fiber,
54. 3:48or another digestive disruption.
55. 3:51And diarrhea might be greenish
56. 3:53because it traversed the digestive tract too quickly
57. 3:57for bacteria to transform bilirubin into stercobilin.
58. 4:01This might happen because of disturbances including food intolerances,
59. 4:06infections, and inflammatory diseases.
60. 4:09Yellow, smelly, floating poops could mean the pancreas
61. 4:13isn’t producing all the digestive enzymes needed to break down fats
62. 4:18in the small intestine.
63. 4:20Pale poop may come to pass when bile isn't entering the small intestine,
64. 4:25suggesting a liver, gallbladder, or pancreas problem.
65. 4:29And red or black poop can indicate internal bleeding
66. 4:33from any number of intestinal abnormalities.
67. 4:38Considering how small changes in diet and lifestyle
68. 4:41can cause big shifts in bowel movements,
69. 4:44a couple days of colorful poops, constipation, or diarrhea
70. 4:49are generally benign.
71. 4:51But it’s worth monitoring the situation in case things don’t return to normal
72. 4:56within a week.
73. 4:57In those scenarios, it's a good idea to get a doctor on the case.
74. 5:01Blood, discomfort, and persistent constipation, diarrhea, narrow poops,
75. 5:07or lack of relief from bowel movements
76. 5:10can indicate more serious digestive issues.
77. 5:14This includes blockages, inflammation, bowel diseases, and cancers.
78. 5:20Your bowels will only benefit from early intervention.
79. 5:24So, don’t be afraid to take to the toilet, face your feces,
80. 5:28and examine your excrement.
81. 5:30There’s nothing to be ashamed of—
82. 5:31but lots to learn about the colorful choreography going on inside.