Why is the feces black? Is it dangerous?

Why is the feces black? Is it normal? Such questions are extremely rare, but some patients ask their doctors. The norm is the color of the stool, which periodically changes from brownish-yellow to brownish-dark. This color is obtained from the digested particles of the eaten products, and from the bile pigments that enter the intestines from the bile ducts.

It is worth noting that it is by no means in vain that most people are concerned about such an intimate question of why the feces are black. After all, sometimes this symptom indicates a serious pathology of the digestive tract. But often this phenomenon is associated with the use of certain foods, as well as taking medications.

Why black feces: the main sign of any disease

If the stool darkening is sudden and seemingly causeless, then most likely, it is caused by bleeding in the digestive tract, in particular in its upper parts. Such a deviation is often enough with ulcer of the stomach or duodenum, as well as with bowel diseases, esophageal varicose problems and tumors of internal organs.

If the feces are black due to bleeding, the focus of which is located in the intestine, the blood is usually reddish-scarlet. However, under the action of hydrochloric acid, red hemoglobin is gradually converted to black hemin, which gives a dark stool. As a vaccine, with internal bleeding a person may have other symptoms. This is bloody vomiting, hypotension, general weakness, dizziness, tachycardia, pallor of the skin and mucous membranes. With severe and profuse bleeding, acute vascular insufficiency develops, which requires urgent care.

Why feces are black: nutrition

Darkening of the stool does not always indicate the presence of any internal disease. After all, this deviation often appears after the use of certain products. These "coloring" ingredients include boiled beets, red grapes, prunes, blueberries, black currants and pomegranates. In addition to vegetables and fruits, the color of stool can be affected by sausage-krovyanka, as well as by-products. At the same time, a person can stain the stool for 2-3 days, after which this deviation disappears.

Black feces during pregnancy and during medication

Often with such a problem, women are treated in a position to the doctors. In this case, black stools most often appear as a result of taking medications that contain a large amount of iron. A similar deviation can be observed in people with anemia, stomach ulcers, 12-типерстной intestines, etc. After all, for the treatment of such diseases, doctors often designate a complex of "iron" vitamins, activated charcoal, as well as preparations containing bismuth.

If the cause of black feces is taking medications, vitamins or foods, then there is no danger to human health in this. In addition, such a deviation disappears immediately after the exclusion of the above ingredients and medications. Otherwise it is recommended to see a doctor immediately.