Causes Of Dark Red Stool

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.

Causes of dark red stool.

If you don t think your diet is the cause the red you see may be blood. 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. Bright red blood or maroon colored stools usually. Possible causes of blood in stool include.

Several different types of food with natural or artificial coloring may cause red in the stool which looks like blood but it isn t. Blackberries blueberries or black licorice might cause the stool to look almost black due to the staining pigments of these foods. Other causes of red or reddish poop. Foods that are naturally red or contain red food coloring can turn the stool red.

Because often the cause cannot be determined it is wise to seek medical evaluation. Your diet can affect the color of your stool such as the following. What causes dark brown stool or diarrhea. Check food labels because a food might not appear red but may still have red food coloring in it.

See how we re providing safe in person care and virtual visits. Stool quality what it may mean possible dietary causes. 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 stool causes that are not blood.

And if it s bright red the blood likely comes from the. However repeated reddish stool and diarrhea especially when there is pain is very likely to be due to blood in. Eating more red meat. Bleeding that happens higher up in the digestive tract may make stool appear black and tarry.

Causes of red stool. Blood is not the only cause of a red discoloration of the stool. Red diarrhea might occur if the food that a person eats causes food poisoning or irritates the stomach. This might cause darker brown stools due to the iron content of meat.

Find possible causes of blood in stool based on specific factors. The cause of red stools or black stools could be nothing to worry about such as those that are caused by food coloring. See our symptom checker. Food may be moving through the large intestine too quickly such as due to diarrhea.

Find possible causes of symptoms in children and adults. Check one or more factors on this page that apply to your symptom.