Reasons Your Poop Might Turn Orange (and What to Do About It) (2024)

Orange stools can be caused by foods that are orange in color (either natural or artificial color,which tends to last much longer and have deeper color). Orange poop can also happen after taking certain medications.

While it is less common, a medical condition, such as a problem with the gallbladder, could also be the cause of orange poop.

Causes of Orange Poop

There are several common and benign (harmless) reasons for passing orange poop that are not a cause for worry.

With orange poop, it's more likely that the color change is due to food or medication than a health condition. Still, any concerns about your poop color should be brought to your healthcare provider's attention.

1. Food

Eating certain foods can cause your poop to turn orange. Foods that can cause orange poop include:

• Any food with an artificial yellow or orange coloring
• Apricots
• Carrots
• Cilantro
• Collard greens
• Fresh thyme
• Sweet potatoes
• Turnip greens
• Winter squash

2. Medication

Certain medications can also cause your poop to appear orange. Examples include:

• Certain antibiotics such asRifadin (rifampin) and Omnicef (cefdinir)
• Amphojel (aluminum hydroxide), an antacid
• Phenothiazines (antipsychotic/antiemetic medications)
  

3. Supplements

Supplements containing beta-carotene (which is sometimes found in vitamin A) can also cause your poop to turn orange.

4. Digestive Problems

In most healthy people, orange poop is most often the result of eating one or more of the foods or supplements listed above.

Still, if you have orange poop it's important to note what's going on with the rest of your body.This is becausesome medical conditions cause stool to turn the color orange.

If your stool is orange, it could mean that it is not being exposed to enough bile salt or is not absorbing enough. Bile is yellowish-green, and when it reacts with the natural enzymes present in the bowel, it turns the stool brown.

• Not absorbing bile: One reason stool may not absorb bile is if it moves through the digestive tract too quickly. This rapid transit could be caused by one or more of several different conditions, including diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or short bowel syndrome (SBS).
• Lack of bile: Orange poop can also occur if your body is not making enough bile or your bile ducts are blocked. Bile is produced in the liver and travels through bile ducts to the gallbladder (where it is stored) and to the small intestine (where it contacts stool). Gallstones, inflammation, cysts, or tumors could cause a blockage in the bile ducts.

Why Poop Changes Color

Stool can come in a variety of colors. What is considereda "normal" stool color is unique to each person and is often a spectrum rather than one color all the time.

Stool coloris affected by thedigestive process. As it moves through thedigestive tract, the digesting food changes from green to yellow-orange to brown. The final brown color is due to the bile and bacteria in the stool. Healthy stool can also change color due to something you've ingested.

While color changes can be surprising, they are not always concerning. Some color changes, however, can indicate a serious problem. For example, black stool can indicate bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Orange poop can be a sign of a health condition, but having one orange bowel movement with no other symptoms is most likely not a cause for concern.

When to Call a Healthcare Provider

One orange poop isn't something to be too worried about because it's most likely from a food or supplement and not from an underlying medical condition.

When you cannot trace the color change to one of these reasons, it's time to see your healthcare provider.

Also, make an appointment for an evaluation if you have ongoing orange poop or if any of these symptoms accompanies it:

• Stomach pain
• Orange diarrhea
• Constipation
• Weakness
• Dizziness

Diagnostic Tests

Your healthcare provider will ask about your diet, especially orange or red foods, and then determine if other tests are needed to find out what's causing the orange stool.

The tests a healthcare provider runs are dependent on the symptoms that are happening along with the orange stool. Blood tests and stool tests might be some of the first tests done.

If your provider is concerned you may have a digestive condition, they may refer you to a gastroenterologist, a specialist in digestive disease. A gastroenterologist may order other tests based on the problem, such as a computed tomography (CT)scan if a gallbladder problem or bile duct blockage is suspected.

Summary

Orange poop caused by diet or a supplementprobably isn'tsomething to be worried about. If it is stressful, consider making changes that reduce your intake of the foods or supplements causing the orange color.

If any other symptoms occur along with the orange color, or if it lasts more than a day or two, it's time to look into possible medical causes. Call a healthcare professional if you have any pain, diarrhea, constipation, or other symptoms such as dizziness or weakness.