Let's talk about poo

What’s in a poo?

We make poo every day without even looking at a recipe, but if we did, it would start with water. Three quarters of poo is water. The other quarter includes vegetable fibre, the remains of dead red blood cells, stuff that your body can’t use and bacteria. And speaking of bacteria, one of the research projects funded by the Bowelbabe Fund is looking into whether any of the microorganisms that live in our guts could affect the risk of bowel cancer. 

Adults produce an average of 100-200g of poo per day, and eating more fruit and vegetables could increase this to up to 500g. That’s because our bodies can’t digest fibre from plants, so it ends up in our poo. Eating more fruit, veg and wholegrains makes our poo bigger and helps us poo more often, so harmful chemicals spend less time in contact with the bowel. That’s one of the ways eating a healthy balanced diet reduces the risk of bowel cancer. 

Poo-sonal assistant

For centuries, one of the most important jobs in England was helping the King go to the toilet.  

The Groom of the Stool, who took his title from a specific type of throne, knew the King’s mind, heart and bowels better than almost anyone in court. By Tudor times, he was even helping run the economy.  

He could also contact the Royal Doctor if there were any unusual changes to the King's poo. For example, in 1539 one Groom reported that, after Henry VIII had taken laxatives, “[he] rose to go upon his stool, which, with the working of the pills and enema … had a very fair siege.”  

All that goes to show that, long before modern medicine, people understood the importance of knowing what was normal and getting any unusual changes checked out.

So, if you notice you're pooing more often, or that your poo is harder, looser or has signs of blood in it, your doctor will want to hear from you. It probably won't be cancer but, if it is, getting an early diagnosis can make all the difference. 

Unfortunately, back when the Groom of the Stool was doing it, early diagnosis wouldn't have counted for so much.

One of the most respected doctors of the 17th century, Thomas Sydenham, liked to treat blocked bowels by placing a live kitten on the patient's abdomen. Other medical professionals prescribed pills for constipation made of a chemical called antimony. Not only were these toxic, they were also supposed to be washed, reused and sometimes even resold after passing through patients.  

Time to poo

We don’t need to poo a clock for our bowels to know when it’s poo o’clock. The time food takes to pass through our digestive system and into the toilet as poo after we eat it varies from person to person. On average, it is longer for women than men.  

 If you’ve ever eaten sweetcorn then noticed it reappear in the toilet a few hours or days later, you might have an idea of your gut transit time. There's no need to keep it to yourself, but it’s important to remember that you can’t learn much about your health by comparing, as everyone’s bowels have their own schedules. 

The important thing is to know what's normal for you. If you find you're going more or less often than usual, you should tell your doctor.  

Why is poo that colour?

The colour of poo comes from the dead red blood cells it contains.  

As these dead cells break down, the pigment that makes them red turns green and then yellow, which is the same colour change you see when a bruise fades. Finally, bacteria in the bowel turn that yellow to brown.  

So, although poo contains the remains of blood cells, it shouldn't contain actual blood. Fresh blood looks red and congealed blood looks black - if you see either of these colours in your poo, tell your doctor. It’s often due to something other than cancer, but it’s important to get checked out. 

In fact, the bowel cancer screening test, which is for people without symptoms, looks for invisibly small traces of blood in poo samples. It’s used to help identify people who might need follow up tests to check for cancer.   

Bowel movement

Have you ever wondered what happens when astronauts poo in space? At first, it's freeze-dried and stored, then when there's enough it's released and burns up in the Earth's atmosphere as a shooting star. Don’t be put off wishing on one, though! 

Poo by numbers

Because poo is so individual, it’s not always easy to describe how it can change.  

In 1997, a doctor in Bristol developed a chart that divided poo into 7 different types. If you need to talk to your doctor about your poo, you might find the Bristol Stool Chart a helpful guide.