Causes Of Dark Red Stool

This might cause darker brown stools due to the iron content of meat.

Causes of dark red stool. Eating more red meat. What causes dark brown stool or diarrhea. Food may be moving through the large intestine too quickly such as due to diarrhea. However repeated reddish stool and diarrhea especially when there is pain is very likely to be due to blood in.

Because often the cause cannot be determined it is wise to seek medical evaluation. Eating dark blue or black colored foods. Bright red blood or maroon colored stools usually. And if it s bright red the blood likely comes from the.

Your diet can affect the color of your stool such as the following. It s important to keep in mind however that red or black in the stool could be due to bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract stomach small intestine or large intestine. As a result bile doesn t have time to break down completely. Red diarrhea might occur if the food that a person eats causes food poisoning or irritates the stomach.

Red stool causes that are not blood. In fact if the stool is red for just one or two bowel movements and it does not occur again then it could be due to other causes apart from blood. Bleeding that happens higher up in the digestive tract may make stool appear black and tarry. The cause of red stools or black stools could be nothing to worry about such as those that are caused by food coloring.

Foods that are naturally red or contain red food coloring can turn the stool red. Dark red or maroon stool melana can be caused by consuming food that color the stool red such as beets or tomatoes 6 but can also be caused by bleeding in the lower intestinal tract 7. Check one or more factors on this page that apply to your symptom. Several different types of food with natural or artificial coloring may cause red in the stool which looks like blood but it isn t.

If you don t think your diet is the cause the red you see may be blood. Blackberries blueberries or black licorice might cause the stool to look almost black due to the staining pigments of these foods. Check food labels because a food might not appear red but may still have red food coloring in it. Find possible causes of blood in stool based on specific factors.

Blood is not the only cause of a red discoloration of the stool. Stool quality what it may mean possible dietary causes. See how we re providing safe in person care and virtual visits. Find possible causes of symptoms in children and adults.

If your stool is bright red or black which may indicate the presence of blood seek prompt medical attention. Other causes of red or reddish poop.