Yellow poop or yellow diarrhea can have many causes, and though it's often harmless, it can indicate a more serious health issue. Experts explain how to tell why your poop is yellow and when to see a doctor.
Why Is My Poop Yellow? Experts Share 10 Most Common Reasons
Updated on Jul. 13, 2022
Highlights
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Having yellow poop now and then isn’t necessarily worrisome. Most shades along the spectrum of yellow, green, and brown are within the range of “normal.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, off-color stool is probably because of something you ate—though it may also be a sign of underlying health issues. That can mean anything from a minor “disagreement” between you and your belly to something more serious, such as infection, parasites, and diseases of the digestive tract.
What color should poop be?
Generally, “normal” poop should be brown. When you eat food, it eventually turns that color by the time it exits the body in the form of stool, according to Baltimore colon and rectal surgeon Jeffery Nelson, MD, FACS, FASCRS, the surgical director at The Center for Inflammatory Bowel and Colorectal Diseases at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore.
Why? As food makes its way down the digestive tract, it gets stained by bile, which constantly drains into the gut. Bile, which breaks down fats, is made by the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and released through bile ducts as needed during digestion.
Why is my poop yellow?
Abnormal poop color isn’t usually a cause for concern—especially if it’s a one-off case. But if it becomes a regular occurrence, yellow poop could be a sign of an underlying health condition. Here’s what doctors want you to know about what can cause yellow poop to help you find the right fix.
1. It’s something you ate
If you notice yellow poop, the first thing to do is consider what you’ve eaten in the last day or so, says Christine Traxler, MD, a family medicine physician with Ali’i Health Center in Hawaii.
Stool may appear yellow because you’ve had a large quantity of carrots, sweet potatoes, or other beta-carotene-rich produce. Or perhaps you enjoyed a meal rich in turmeric. Even artificially colored yellow foods can turn your stool yellow. In each case, stool takes on the color yellow simply because the pigment is not easily digested.
Your stool might also be yellow if you ate something that disagreed with you, such as:
- if you’re lactose intolerant but just helped yourself to a scoop of ice cream
- if you’ve been under unusual stress, which can speed up GI transit time so that your stool doesn’t have time to develop its normal brown color
- if you have irritable bowel syndrome, and you ate one of these foods likely to make your symptoms worse
Slightly more worrisome is if you routinely find your stool is yellow, specifically after you’ve eaten fatty, oily, or greasy food. That may be a sign of a problem with the bile from your liver, which often involves other symptoms, as discussed below.
2. You picked up an infection
When food moves faster than usual through your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, it’s more likely to come out on the other end looking yellow (or even greenish, although there are many reasons that you might pass green poop).
In addition to stress, another cause of food moving rapidly through the GI tract is foodborne infection, according to Kumar Desai, MD, gastroenterologist, hepatologist, and pancreaticobiliary specialist in Thousand Oaks, California.
Foodborne infections are caused by various bacteria, viruses, and parasites and are transmitted by ingesting contaminated food or water or, in some cases, through direct contact with another person or animal that has been infected.
Other symptoms of foodborne infection may include:
- abdominal discomfort/cramping
- diarrhea
- fatigue
In addition, you may see undigested food in your stool, Dr. Traxler says.
3. You picked up the parasite Giardia
Although it’s not normal, picking up an intestinal parasite is not uncommon. An intestinal parasite is an actual organism living in your intestinal tract. Many intestinal parasites are transmitted through food and water, although some can be shared by person-to-person contact.
One of the most common intestinal parasites in the United States, Giardia, can cause the stool to appear yellow—and have a soft or liquid consistency—because it causes the food to move quickly through the GI tract.
Giardia, which is most commonly transmitted through ingesting contaminated water, may also cause symptoms like:
- cramps
- diarrhea
- nausea
- vomiting
In addition, when the diagnosis is giardiasis (the infection caused by Giardia), you’ll typically pass bright yellow stool.
4. You have a food intolerance
Any sort of food intolerance, such as lactose intolerance, can contribute to yellow stools.
“This typically happens when your body has difficulty digesting certain foods, such as dairy or high-fat foods,” says Ali Aamar, MD, a gastroenterologist at Houston Methodist Hospital. “The undigested food moves through the intestines more quickly than usual, and as a result, fat doesn’t get absorbed properly.”
As explained above, your liver produces bile to digest fats—and that bile turns brown as it moves through your digestive tract. But if your body can’t properly absorb and process the food you eat, your stool moves too quickly to pick up its typical brown color.
5. You have Celiac disease
Yellow poop can be a sign of Celiac disease—also known as gluten-sensitive enteropathy. “[Celiac disease] is an autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestine,” says Julie Khlevner, MD, Director of the Pediatric Gastroenterology Motility Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. It’s sometimes mistaken for other digestive conditions, including gluten intolerance.
“Ingestion of gluten in people with celiac disease can lead to ongoing intestinal inflammation leading to nutrient (including fat) malabsorption resulting in pale, yellow stools,” Dr. Khlevner explains.
Celiac disease can also cause:
- diarrhea
- cramps
- fatigue
- no obvious symptoms at all
The condition is serious and can lead to malnutrition, osteoporosis, infertility, and more, whether you have obvious symptoms or not. The resulting small intestine inflammation interferes with nutrient absorption, including fat absorption.
6. You’re stressed or anxious
“Stress and anxiety can impact your digestive system and potentially lead to changes in stool color,” Dr. Aamar says. “When you’re stressed or anxious, your body releases hormones like adrenaline that can speed up digestion and cause your intestines to move food through more quickly. This can prevent bile from being fully absorbed.”
As a result, the stool might appear lighter or yellowish. “Additionally, anxiety can sometimes lead to diarrhea, which also reduces the time your intestines have to process food and bile.”
Other clues that anxiety or stress is contributing to yellow poop include:
- constipation or diarrhea
- bloating and/or gas
- abdominal pain
- changes to your stool’s consistency
- sudden need to go to the bathroom
Learn more about other signs stress is making you sick, according to doctors.
7. Your liver isn’t working properly
If your liver isn’t functioning properly, you won’t be making enough bile for release by the gallbladder.
Common causes of liver dysfunction include:
- cirrhosis
- fatty liver disease
- liver infections
- tumors of the liver
- liver damage due to acetaminophen
- pale and clay-colored stool
However, if your liver is involved, Dr. Traxler points out that you would generally expect to have other symptoms, such as jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and/or whites of the eyes). You also might feel unusually fatigued, feverish, itchy, and/or confused.
8. You have gallstones or another gallbladder issue
The gallbladder stores bile and releases it through bile ducts during digestion, so if your gallbladder or bile ducts are malfunctioning, they won’t be able to release enough bile for proper digestion (and proper stool color).
Common causes of gallbladder dysfunction include:
- gallstones
- gallbladder infection
- bile duct inflammation
- gallbladder tumors
- gallbladder cancer
If the gallbladder is involved, you would expect to experience some level of pain, according to Dr. Traxler, usually in the upper right quadrant of your torso and potentially radiating to the right shoulder and right side of the upper back.
9. You could have an issue with your pancreas
“Problems with the pancreas can lead to yellow-colored stools,” Dr. Aamar says. “The pancreas plays a critical role in producing digestive enzymes, which are responsible for breaking down fats.”
If there is an issue with the pancreas, such as pancreatic insufficiency or pancreatitis, it is not able to release these enzymes into the intestines, he explains. “This results in the body being unable to properly digest fats. The undigested fat can cause yellow and greasy appearance of stools.”
Problems with your pancreas can also cause a yellow stool that’s foul in odor and has a frothy or floaty appearance.
Potential pancreatic issues include:
- infection or inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
- exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (the pancreas doesn’t produce enough digestive enzymes)
- a stone blocking the ducts leading out of the pancreas
- pancreatic cancer
10. You have Gilbert’s Syndrome
“Gilbert’s Syndrome is a common liver condition where the liver has difficulty processing a substance called bilirubin, which is produced when your body breaks down red blood cells,” Dr. Aamar says. Normally, the liver helps remove bilirubin from the bloodstream, Dr. Khlevner explains.
But in people with Gilbert’s Syndrome, this process is slower, says Dr. Aamar. “This leads to a temporary buildup of bilirubin in the blood, which can cause jaundice,” he explains. “While this primarily affects skin color, in some cases, the excess bilirubin can also affect the stool, making it appear slightly yellow.”
However, the condition is usually mild and not something to be overly concerned about unless accompanied by other serious symptoms. “[It] often doesn’t cause symptoms, though some people might experience fatigue, mild abdominal discomfort, or episodes of jaundice,” Dr. Khlevner says—especially during times of stress, illness, or fasting.
Why is my baby’s poop yellow?
“In newborns, particularly those who are breastfed, it is completely normal for stools to be yellow,” Dr. Aamar says. “Breast milk is easily digested, and the digestive system of a newborn is very efficient at processing it.” The yellow color typically comes from bile, a digestive fluid that helps break down fat. “This is a sign that the baby’s digestive system is functioning properly.”
However, it is not typical for infants to have pale, clay-colored stools, adds Dr. Khlevner. “An infant with pale, non-pigmented, or clay-colored stool should be evaluated by a medical provider.”
What causes yellow poop in the elderly?
“As we age, our digestive systems may become less efficient, causing slower digestion” and the potential for yellow stools, Dr. Aamar explains. He says this could be related to:
- age-related changes in the liver or gallbladder
- pancreatic insufficiency
- diseases affecting these organs, such as gallstones, liver disease, or chronic pancreatitis
- medications that older adults often take, such as antibiotics or antacids (which can affect digestion and stool color)
“It’s always a good idea to seek medical attention in elderly with persistent yellow stools for further evaluation,” Dr. Khlevner says.
When to see a doctor
Yellow stool, alone—without other symptoms—is unlikely to signify anything serious.
However, “you should see a doctor if you notice yellow stools that persist for more than a few days, especially if it’s associated with symptoms like abdominal pain, weight loss, nausea, fatigue, or yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice),” Dr. Aamar says. “These could be signs of a more serious underlying condition, such as liver disease, pancreatic issues, or gallbladder problems.”
Yellow or pale bowel movements accompanied by diarrhea, dark urine, oily/greasy stools, foul-smelling stools, itchiness, or vomiting also warrant a trip to the doctor, adds Dr. Khlevner.
About the experts
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Sources
- Cleveland Clinic: “Is It Normal To Have Different-Colored Poop?”
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “About Food Safety”
- CDC: “Parasites”
