Could those eerie-looking dark green poops be the result of microscopic colitis, an uncommon inflammatory bowel disease?
I had a bout with microscopic colitis in 2010, and during that time, my stools occasionally were a dark green.
“Because MC diarrhea is associated with fast transit — it could cause green watery stool,” says John E. Pandolfino, MD, Director of the Esophageal Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and Associate Professor, Division of Gastroenterology at Northwestern University.
“However, it is usually very watery and should not have blood associated with it.”
Light and Medium Green Stools
These are the result of fast transit through the GI tract, and of course, fast transit occurs with microscopic colitis.
However, there is another likely cause if the color of your stools is a dark green.
I noticed that this, during my bout with MC, was associated with very recent consumption of spinach.
Upon close examination of my stools, I noted that they were intertwined with fragments of spinach.
I know this sounds really gross, but — think of this as good news, because this occurrence is totally harmless.
So yes, viewing this may not be for the faint of heart, but if you have microscopic colitis, it’s important to embrace studying what comes out of you so that you can learn about your body and be familiar with what seems normal and what seems abnormal.
Sometimes BMs take on the color, or tinge, of food that was recently eaten, and green foods such as spinach and asparagus are no exception to this.
Microscopic colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel condition causing watery, non-bloody diarrhea, primarily in older adults.
It includes two subtypes: collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis, distinguished by microscopic changes in colon tissue.
The colon of someone with MC appears normal during colonoscopy, requiring biopsy for diagnosis.
Treatment often involves anti-inflammatory drugs like budesonide, with most patients responding well and achieving symptom control.
However, many patients report remarkable improvement by a change in diet, which includes learning which foods can trigger episodes of diarrhea and then eliminating those foods.
You don’t have to eliminate foods such as spinach just because they’re coloring your bowel movements dark green. Again, this is nothing to be concerned about.
Dr. Pandolfino’s practice covers a wide gamut of GI disorders including GERD, Barrett’s esophagus, benign and malignant tumors, swallowing disorders and esophageal disorders.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
