Is the cause of gold stools—a more golden color rather than straight yellow—different from the cause of a blander yellow type of poop?
What can be considered a “gold” stool might actually be a yellowish tan, or maybe even a very light brown.
The lighting in the bathroom stall will also influence how you see the color.
There’s really no such thing as a pure golden color for poops.
But if stools appear to be gold, they are probably what a doctor would consider to be yellow.
Yellow Stools: Cause for Worry?
“The color yellow is not concerning and can be affected by bile in the stool,” says Franjo Vladic, MD, a board certified gastroenterologist with Center for Digestive Health and Endoscopy Center in Ohio.
Dr. Vladic explains, “Color is hard to decipher, and pale or clay-colored (grey) stools can be interpreted as yellow, so it is worth bringing to the attention of a doctor who can determine whether further evaluation is merited.”
A good idea would be to collect your stools, next time they appear to be a golden yellow, and bring them into the office for your doctor to inspect.
Though this task will be unlike any that you’ve ever done, it’s a really important one to conduct, as follows:
Using a strainer that easily fits into the toilet bowl, carefully collect the BMs.
Allow the fluid to strain out, then place them in a plastic container, then tightly seal it.
The container should be refrigerated unless your doctor appointment is that same day.
Your doctor will be able to tell if your bowel movements ahave a yellow/gold tint or are actually more of a grey (which would be very concerning).
What can give a golden tint to your poops is the supplement turmeric or curcumin.
Some of the brilliant orange of this supplement will get passed and end up on stools.
When bile makes stools appear yellow, this is not a concern, as Dr. Vladic notes. Bile in stool is a normal process.
Colon Cancer
Colon cancer does not turn stools any shade that can pass as yellow or gold.
Colon cancer sometimes causes blood to get mixed with BMs, making them appear bloody, maroon or full of a black, tar-like substance (old blood).
You can do colon cancer screening at home with Cologuard — this is a simple stool collection kit that uses state-of-the-art DNA technology to identify cells that are abnormal in appearance.
If abnormal cells are detected, your doctor will likely recommend a colonoscopy for diagnosis.
Serious conditions can turn bowel movements a pale color, but do not confuse pale or beige with yellow or golden.
