{"id":12602,"date":"2020-03-12T11:28:37","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T11:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=12602"},"modified":"2021-07-01T12:16:07","modified_gmt":"2021-07-01T12:16:07","slug":"14-common-causes-for-light-brown-poop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/14-common-causes-for-light-brown-poop\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Common Causes for Light Brown Poop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Even though everyone might not like to admit it, everyone takes a look into the toilet bowl every once in a while when they’re done to see the result of their movement. It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but shouldn’t be – this can be one of the most important things that you do every day, and it’s just important to know what comes out of you as opposed to following a healthy diet and knowing what goes in.
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Poop can tell a lot about you. It can say so much about your health that doctors have an official scale for comparing what you poop to what’s considered a healthy poop color.
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Sometimes the color of your poop might indicate a direct symptom: The sign that something has to be diagnosed and treated, with your poop as one of the first indicators.
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If you have light brown stools, then there are several things that might indicate your health.
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Here are 14 of the most frequent causes of light brown poop that you should know about.
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1. Antibiotics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Antibiotics <\/a>are one of the first things that your doctor will prescribe when you are fighting off an infection or illness, and permitting that you finish the course from start to end, they can help you to get rid of the potential signs of an infection much faster than if you had done it without For severe infections, antibiotics could be lifesaving and the only way in which to treat the symptoms of whatever condition you might have.
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But antibiotics aren’t flawless: They help you to battle the signs of an infection, but they can also cause side-effects associated with taking them. The digestive system almost always responds to a course of antibiotics with stomach upsets (and might respond with light brown stools in the first few days of taking the antibiotics).
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This is normal for a few days, although see your doctor if the condition’s side-effects continue beyond this.
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2. Other Medications<\/strong>
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Antibiotics don’t make for the only type of medication <\/a>that has associated side-effects. Sometimes side-effects of medication kick at the moment you start taking them, while sometimes side-effects will only kick in halfway through your course – or rarely, months or years into taking a chronic type of medication.\u00a0
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Which side-effects you experience from medication depends on your individual health make-up and what medication you are taking; if you are concerned about specific varieties of medication and their side-effects, speak to your doctor or check the “leaflet” which came with the medication for the list of researched and potential side-effects listed in order of likelihood.
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Light brown poop is a common medication side-effect and might be caused due to medication if you can spot the effects that happen near the time of starting the medication.
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See your doctor anywhere taking medication shows side-effects, and never alter or stop your treatment without speaking to a professional doctor first.
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3. Bile Duct Obstruction<\/strong>
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The bile duct is one of the most important glands in the body: The job of the bile duct is to produce and process bile, which is a compound needed by the digestive system and liver in order to process components like fat into the body’s bloodstream.The bile ductworks together with other organs in the body that include the liver <\/a>and kidneys.
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Where the bile duct doesn’t work the way that it should, nausea, vomiting, and pain are common symptoms, but you might also experience other symptoms within the first stages of the infection or illness that you are going through.
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Bile duct obstruction or malfunction has been known to cause the appearance of light brown stools, and it might also affect your digestive system in other, serious ways from there. 
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At the first sign of experiencing light brown stools, you should see your doctor: The proper diagnosis usually takes only a few tests to establish.
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4. Digestive Conditions<\/strong>
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When it comes to digestive conditions that might cause the appearance of brown stools, there are a literal thousand different medical conditions out there which can trigger it – and some of them can include irritable bowel syndrome, the presence of a hernia<\/a>, the instance of a serious infection or simply a temporary bout of food poisoning that can be treated with antibiotics.
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There are many digestive conditions and ailments that can potentially cause brown stools: If your symptoms are chronic and don’t go away or they become recurring and keep coming back, then it’s time to make an appointment with your doctor.
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Because of the varied level of digestive conditions that act as potential causes for brown stools, a doctor can order tests to establish which condition you are most in danger of developing. Tests are usually noninvasive, and you can do a lot by explaining your symptoms to your doctor in detail.
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5. Cancers<\/strong>
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Cancer <\/a>and the treatment for various types of cancer are known to trigger regular rates of digestive upsets, and might be the cause behind light brown stools: Experiencing light brown poop doesn’t mean that you have cancer, but it can be one of the warning signs – especially if you are a naturally higher risk for certain types of cancers and if you show any other symptoms or signs.
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If you suspect that you might have cancer based on symptoms or signs that you have seen (or if you are just worried about your family history of cancers as compared to your own level of risk for developing it) then see your doctor as soon as possible.
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A few simple tests and scans can tell you whether or not you have cause for concern when it comes to potentially developing cancer.
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Occasionally, cancer treatments (such as chemotherapy) might trigger the same digestive effects.
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6. Liver Disorders<\/strong>
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Light brown poop can occasionally be caused by underlying conditions of the liver: If you experience digestive upsets that you cannot find another reason or condition for, then it might very well be something that’s happening due to a liver condition – and it’s time to take a closer look at the potential risk factors<\/a> that might increase the chances of it being due to liver disease.
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If you start to experience light brown poop together with pain in the back or abdomen, this makes it more likely that it can be due to liver disease.
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Liver disorders can lead to liver failure if they remain undiagnosed or untreated: The best thing that you can do is to see your doctor if you suspect a disorder that affects your liver – leaving it to chance can never be good for your health.
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The good news? Most liver disorders are easy to treat in the event of an early diagnosis.
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7. <\/strong> Liver Disorders (can change color) <\/strong>
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There are some dietary elements that might trigger a bout or two of light brown poop, which can, in turn, be a huge cause for concern when people notice it and suddenly assume that there might be something seriously wrong with their health. 
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Sometimes light brown poop isn’t really indicative of anything important or notable, and many times (especially if it only happens once or twice) it’s something that will go away by itself after one or two times.
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If you experience light brown poop and you really aren’t sure from what, take a closer look at your diet first: It’s likely that you might have consumed something rich that might have upset your stomach <\/a>within a day or so preceding the “light brown poop” that you might be worried about.
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It’s likely that, should the cause be dietary, that you should be able to fix it with just a few small dietary adjustments.
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8. Food Poisoning <\/strong>
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Even though it’s already been said in this article that light brown poop might happen due to a singular, once-off dietary change that means you ate something (either containing colorants or high in fat content) that might have triggered the episodic light brown stools – but it can also be something more serious.
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Where it’s not a once-off event, light brown poop can easily be combined with other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting <\/a>if it’s caused by food poisoning.
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Food poisoning happens when we consume foods that aren’t prepared int the right ways (and contain contaminants, usually from improper preparation or a lack of hygiene in the kitchen).
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If you have food poisoning, vomiting and nausea are common symptoms and you are likely to feel ill for at least three to five days, during which hydration becomes very important. See your doctor if you feel worse or cannot control your symptoms.
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9. An H. Pylori Infection<\/strong>
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Even though you might have never heard of the bacterium H. pylori<\/a> before, it’s very likely that you have encountered it. It’s one of the most common types of digestive infections that one can contract, and it’s usually picked up through direct contact with someone else who has it (and might not have washed their hands properly after going to the bathroom).\u00a0
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If you have H. pylori, the condition is characterized by bouts of diarrhea that might last a few days, go away and then start again just as the condition has had a chance to establish itself again in your body. 
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Light brown stools are common, as are stools having a “featherlike” quality to them: Where you spot these, see your doctor – and try to track down any places or events where you might have been exposed to H. pylori (and of course, avoid these restaurants if it happens more than once in a row).
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10. IBS<\/strong>
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General digestive upsets and bouts of food poisoning might be behind watery, loose and light brown stools – but there are also other conditions that might cause it as a chronic symptom. If you experience light brown stools and stomach upsets on a regular basis, then you almost certainly have a condition causing it – and it might be something like IBS.
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Irritable bowel syndrome<\/a> (also called IBS for short) is one of the single most common digestive conditions out there: Dietary factors and genetics have a lot to do with who gets the condition, since it is not known to be contagious, but instead born with or developed as a result of other conditions.
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See your doctor if you suspect IBS: Lifelong management of the condition and treatment of the symptoms on a symptom-by-symptom basis is the best way to take care of the condition while still being able to lead a normal life with a healthy diet.
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11. Excessive Oil or Fat in Diet<\/strong>
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Everyone knows that it’s a good idea to stick to a healthy diet<\/a>, but even people who are considered health-conscious are known to indulge in something “outside of their diet” every once in a while – and if you aren’t used to it, then your body can respond with immediate digestive upset.\u00a0
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This doesn’t happen because there’s something wrong with you or the food, but it can also just happen because your body is not used to consuming food this rich.
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Excessive oil or fat in your diet can cause a range of different digestive conditions that are mostly known as temporary ones. But consuming things that upset your body on a regular basis are bound to cause the recurrence of the symptom on a chronic basis – and it’s likely to cause light brown poop as a recurring symptom instead of a once-off.
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Adjust your diet if you suspect a dietary cause: See your doctor anywhere this symptom doesn’t go away.
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12. Fatty Liver Disease<\/strong>
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Conditions of the liver are known to cause many different side-effects within the body, and it’s through these side-effects and other symptoms that these conditions can be seen, diagnosed and treated: If you experience any conditions that might be indicative of liver disease, the first thing you should do is make an appointment with your doctor or surgeon <\/a>– and from there, follow their advice!
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Some of the signs and symptoms that can indicate liver damage or liver conditions can include light brown stools and stomach upsets; it might also include irritability, weight loss or gain and changes in the way your body is able to process things like fat or alcohol.
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See your doctor if you suspect that you might have a liver condition based on the symptoms that you experience, or if you have any history of liver conditions that run in your family (and might subsequently affect you as a result).
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13. Dietary Changes<\/strong>
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If your digestive system<\/a> is suddenly introduced to new ingredients, new recipes, new levels of richness or simply anything that you are not used to, responding with the signs of a stomach upset are common – and it might last for only one or two days before your body returns back, to normal, and then recur the next time you experience or encounter the same dietary element.
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Digestive issues can be temporary or chronic, and they can be one of the single most common triggers for developing chronic digestive issues including light brown poop. You are also likely to experience some of the other symptoms of a chronic stomach upset, including stomach pain, discomfort in general and dehydration. Vomiting and nausea are also often associated with this condition.
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Should you suspect dietary changes are causing light brown poop or any other symptoms, see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.
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14. Barium Meal Tests<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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When doctors suspect that you might have underlying digestive issues, then they order subsequent tests to establish what might be causing them – and one of these tests is called a barium meal test. The barium meal test involves the patient drinking a barium solution, and then subsequently going in for x-rays<\/a>: The presence of barium, which reacts differently to x-rays than normal surrounding tissues, shows whether or not there are digestive pathways or leaks where things are flowing and shouldn’t be.
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Barium meal tests are a common test, but most people don’t imagine the potential side-effects of the test itself. What goes in, must come out – and the rule for barium meal tests is that it’s going to happen one way or another. 
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Light-colored, watery or chalk-like stools are common after a barium meal test; the diarrhea is likely to follow for a few hours but might last for as much as a day or two depending on how your system reacts to it. 
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See your doctor for any persistent symptoms that continue beyond this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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