Blackberries blueberries or black licorice might cause the stool to look almost black due to the staining pigments of these foods.
Causes of dark red stool.
However repeated reddish stool and diarrhea especially when there is pain is very likely to be due to blood in.
Eating dark blue or black colored foods.
Because often the cause cannot be determined it is wise to seek medical evaluation.
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.
What causes dark brown stool or diarrhea.
The cause of red stools or black stools could be nothing to worry about such as those that are caused by food coloring.
Other causes of red or reddish poop.
Check one or more factors on this page that apply to your symptom.
This might cause darker brown stools due to the iron content of meat.
Eating more red meat.
And if it s bright red the blood likely comes from the.
Possible causes of blood in stool include.
Find possible causes of blood in stool based on specific factors.
Causes of red stool.
If your stool is bright red or black which may indicate the presence of blood seek prompt medical attention.
Bright red blood or maroon colored stools usually.
Foods that are naturally red or contain red food coloring can turn the stool red.
Several different types of food with natural or artificial coloring may cause red in the stool which looks like blood but it isn t.
See our symptom checker.
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.
If you don t think your diet is the cause the red you see may be blood.
Your diet can affect the color of your stool such as the following.
Blood is not the only cause of a red discoloration of the stool.
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.
Red diarrhea might occur if the food that a person eats causes food poisoning or irritates the stomach.
Stool quality what it may mean possible dietary causes.
Find possible causes of symptoms in children and adults.
Food may be moving through the large intestine too quickly such as due to diarrhea.
Check food labels because a food might not appear red but may still have red food coloring in it.
As a result bile doesn t have time to break down completely.