Talking about poop may not be glamorous, but your stool’s color can reveal a lot about your digestive health. While brown is the normal hue—thanks to bile pigments—yellow poop can sometimes signal that something’s off. But don’t panic: occasional color changes are common and often harmless.
According to gastroenterologist Dr. Sarah Robbins, poop color is influenced by bile production, digestion speed, diet, and potential medical issues. Yellow stool, in particular, is often tied to how your body processes fat and bile.
Here are five common causes of yellow poop:
Fat Malabsorption: When your body can’t properly digest fats, stool may become yellow, greasy, and foul-smelling—a condition called steatorrhea. This can result from celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
Liver or Gallbladder Issues: Bile helps digest fats and turns stool brown. Conditions like hepatitis, gallstones, or bile duct blockages can reduce bile flow, causing stool to appear yellow or pale. These issues may also bring fatigue, fever, or nausea.
Rapid Gut Transit: If food moves too quickly through the digestive tract—often due to diarrhea, infections, or IBS—bile doesn’t have time to fully break down, leaving stool yellow.
Diet: Eating lots of fatty foods, carrots, turmeric, or yellow food dyes can temporarily change stool color without signaling any health issue.
Infections: Certain bacterial or parasitic infections, like giardiasis, can disrupt digestion and cause yellow diarrhea along with bloating and cramps.
If yellow poop is persistent, greasy, or comes with other symptoms, it’s worth discussing with your healthcare provider. Your gut health may be trying to tell you something important.
