What color is clay stool?
Stool color chart and what does it mean
Table of Contents
Color | Potential cause |
---|---|
Yellow | Diseases of the pancreas, malabsorption, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, Giardia infection |
Clay, pale yellow, or white | Liver or biliary disease, lack of bile in the stool |
Black | GI bleeding |
Black | Iron, bismuth |
What is considered clay poop?
Light-colored stools (grey or clay-colored) in adults can be caused by lack of bile in the digestive system. It is usually from a blockage in the bile ducts, either from a stone or a tumor. Bile helps digest fats and is responsible for the brown color of stool.

When should I worry about clay-colored stools?
Having pale stools once in a while may not be a cause for concern. If it occurs frequently, you may have a serious illness. You should see your doctor whenever you have pale or clay-colored stools in order to rule out illness and disease.
What does pale poop look like?
Stools that are pale, white, or look like clay or putty may result from many things. Sometimes a lack of bile or a blockage in the bile ducts can result in light-colored stools. Bile is a thick fluid that the liver makes to break down fats and remove waste from your body. It turns your stools a brown color.
Is peanut butter colored poop normal?
Stools should be brown, have a peanut-butter texture, and look like a sausage. If your stool has an abnormal color or consistency, it may be due to something you ate or an underlying medical condition in need of investigation by a healthcare provider.

Why is my poop pale and clay like?
White or clay-like stool is caused by a lack of bile, which may indicate a serious underlying problem. Bile is a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Stool gets its normal brownish color from bile, which is excreted into the small intestine during the digestive process.
How do you get rid of clay-colored poop?
If malabsorption of fats is causing the clay-colored stool, then a change in diet and vitamin supplements are often prescribed. In situations where bile ducts are blocked, surgery may be the answer. When the problem is linked to the gallbladder, surgical removal of the gallbladder may be the best way to address it.
Why is my poop so light tan?
Bile from the liver, known as bilirubin, creates the typical brown hue of a healthy bowel movement. When the stool is very pale, it often means that not enough bile is reaching the stool. Stools may contain low bile levels if there is a problem with the gallbladder, pancreas, or liver.
Why poop is beige?
Stools that are pale, clay, or putty-colored may be due to problems in the biliary system. The biliary system is the drainage system of the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas. Food passes from the stomach into the small intestine. In the small intestine all nutrient absorption occurs.
Why is my poop pale beige?
What is considered light-colored poop?
Clay-colored or white stools (pale stools)
Light-colored or clay-colored stools are often seen with diseases of the liver or bile ducts. The pale stool may be caused by pancreatic cancer that blocks the bile ducts. Lack of bile causes stool to lose its brown color and leaves it appearing pale.
What color should poop not?
Recap. Normal stools are usually a light brown to dark brown color. Call your doctor if you have green, yellow, orange, clay-colored, bright red, dark red, or black stools. While there may be a harmless explanation for this, the colors can also be a sign of a serious health concern.
Why is my poop very pale?
Bile is a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Stool gets its normal brownish color from bile, which is excreted into the small intestine during the digestive process. If the liver doesn’t produce bile or if bile is obstructed from leaving the liver, stool will be light colored or white.
What is considered light colored stool?
Why is my poop a light tan color?
Why is my poop very light beige?
When the stool is very pale, it often means that not enough bile is reaching the stool. Stools may contain low bile levels if there is a problem with the gallbladder, pancreas, or liver. People with consistently pale stools may want to talk with a doctor about conditions that affect these organs.
What color is too light for poop?
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Stool quality | What it may mean |
---|---|
Green | Food may be moving through the large intestine too quickly, such as due to diarrhea. As a result, bile doesn’t have time to break down completely. |
Light-colored, white or clay-colored | A lack of bile in stool. This may indicate a bile duct obstruction. |
Is light tan poop OK?
Stool comes in a range of colors. All shades of brown and even green are considered normal. Only rarely does stool color indicate a potentially serious intestinal condition. Stool color is generally influenced by what you eat as well as by the amount of bile — a yellow-green fluid that digests fats — in your stool.
Is light tan poop normal?
Normal stools are not always dark brown. Sometimes they are light brown, tan or yellow. Here is some care advice that should help.
What color is stool with pancreatitis?
Disorders of the pancreas can cause yellow or pale stool. Some of these disorders include: chronic pancreatitis.
Should I be worried if my poop is pale?
One pale stool is not usually a matter for concern, but frequent pale stools can indicate diseases of the liver, pancreas, or gallbladder. In some cases, treatment can help a person feel better within a few days or weeks. Other underlying conditions require long-term management.
Which color of stool is the most worrisome What is it indicative of?
The color of stools varies, but typically falls within the spectrum of brown color, depending on the foods you eat. You should be concerned if your stools are deep red, maroon, black, or “tarry,” especially if they have a noticeable odor. This may mean that there is blood in the stool.
What color is your stool if you have liver problems?
The liver releases bile salts into the stool, giving it a normal brown color. You may have clay-colored stools if you have a liver infection that reduces bile production, or if the flow of bile out of the liver is blocked. Yellow skin (jaundice) often occurs with clay-colored stools.
Why is poop sometimes light tan?
Bile from the liver creates the typical brown hue of a healthy bowel movement. When the stool is very pale, it often means that not enough bile is reaching the stool. Problems with the gallbladder, pancreas, or liver are reasons why stool may not contain enough bile.