Yellow diarrhea

The appearance of feces can tell a lot about the state of health of a person: the color can reveal what has been eaten, or it can be the alarm bell of even significant problems, such as gastrointestinal bleeding; The consistency is instead the mirror of the speed of transit in the intestine.

There are even criteria (summarized in the so-called “Bristol scale“) that allow them to be classified precisely according to shape and consistency, matching the “goat” feces (from the shape of balls of hard consistency) to a very slow transit and the liquid feces to the fastest possible transit.

When we talk about diarrhea we refer to the emission of liquid or semi-liquid stools, which can occur with a frequency of defecation greater than normal. Diarrhoea can occur at any age and affects both men and women (even during pregnancy).

The color of diarrhea can help explain why intestinal transit accelerates, which can correspond to different health problems. Behind a stomach ache associated with yellow diarrhea, for example, there can be several causes that are very different from each other.

Yellow diarrhea: frequent causes

Sometimes the stool turns yellow because of what has been eaten (typically carrots, sweet potatoes, turmeric, and foods containing yellow dyes).

Even the presence of high amounts of undigested fats (which unlike digested fats remain in the intestine) can make the stool yellow, but beyond an excessively high-fat diet, this particular situation can also be associated with real pathologies.

Other conditions affecting the pancreas are included. In fact, a deficiency of the enzymes produced by this organ can make the stool yellow and frothy precisely because of the impairment of fat digestion. Yellow diarrhoea may, for example, be caused by chronic pancreatitis, obstruction of the pancreatic ducts or cystic fibrosis.

Another disease that can compromise digestion leading to the appearance of yellow diarrhea is celiac disease. In this case we are faced with the signal of malabsorption due to the degeneration of the intestinal mucosa caused by the adverse reaction to gluten. Typically, celiac disease also presents with other symptoms, such as abdominal pain with cramps, bloating, decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, tiredness and weakness, muscle pain, dairy intolerance. A certain diagnosis can only be obtained through the serological assay of specific antibodies (anti-transglutaminase, anti-endomysium and total IgA) and a biopsy of the duodenal mucosa by duodenoscopy (not colonoscopy).

Other possible causes of yellow diarrhea are the so-called traveler’s diarrhea and giardiasis, caused by the bacterium Escherichia coli and the parasite Giardia lamblia, respectively.

The appearance of yellow diarrhea can therefore depend on an acute or chronic disorder. In the first case, evacuations are frequent, with watery diarrhea in the earliest stages, but over time they tend to take on a fatter appearance and become foul-smelling; In case of chronic diarrhea, the stools are typically yellow, oily and foul-smelling, and the discharges of diarrhea can alternate with phases of constipation.

Yellow diarrhea has also been associated with:

• liver and gallbladder problems (such as cholecystitis or inflammation due to infectious diseases such as hepatitis) which, by altering the secretion of bile salts in the intestine, compromise good digestion
• disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, especially gastroesophageal reflux, characterized by the passage of stomach contents into the esophagus
• taking weight loss medications, which cause high amounts of fat to accumulate in the stool
• an acceleration of intestinal transit associated with stress, anxiety and conditions in which anxiety plays a significant role, such as irritable bowel syndrome.

In the latter case the color is to be attributed not only to undigested fats, but also to the presence of bilirubin. This substance, produced by the liver, during the passage in the intestine is generally converted into the molecule that gives the stool its brown color. However, if intestinal transit is too fast, bilirubin accumulates in the stool, giving it a yellowish color.

Seeking medical attention is essential in the presence of fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, pus in the stool, difficulty producing urine, breathing problems, fainting and mental confusion.

Yellow diarrhea in children

As for children more specifically, yellow can be a normal color for stool; It is the typical shade, for example, of the feces of exclusively breastfed babies.

In general, only red, black or white stools are considered worrying (because they can be associated with the presence of blood and mucus), and even in these cases it is not always to be excluded a priori that the color may depend on what children with diarrhea have eaten.

If it is highly likely that the color depends on nutrition, it may be sufficient to wait for everything to return to normal, otherwise it is good to contact the pediatrician and follow his advice or go to the emergency room. For example, as in adults, yellow diarrhea in children can be triggered by celiac disease.

Among the most common causes of diarrhea in children is viral gastroenteritis, in which intestinal problems are often associated with nausea and vomiting. In addition to viruses, infections by bacteria and parasites (including giardiasis, which can also affect adults and the elderly) can also trigger diarrhea in children.

Other possible causes of diarrhea in children are:

• food allergies
• food intolerances (especially lactose intolerance)
• inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis).

Yellow diarrhea: most effective remedies

The most effective remedy to treat yellow diarrhea depends on the triggering causes.

For example, in case of celiac disease, neither antidiarrheal drugs nor other medicines, supplements or herbal remedies can help fight the problem: the only possible therapy is an extremely controlled diet that completely excludes foods containing gluten.

If the trigger is traveler’s diarrhea, medication is usually not needed and treatment with antibiotics is indicated only in cases where three or more episodes of diarrhea occur in 8 hours and other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever or blood in the stool also occur.

Finally, in case diarrhea depends on anxiety and stress, relaxation techniques, regular physical activity and other remedies that help you feel more relaxed can help combat the problem.

Yellow diarrhea: foods to prefer and avoid

The choice of the most suitable diet in case of yellow diarrhea also depends on the causes of the problem.

As mentioned, diet plays an essential role when celiac disease causes the disorder. In this case it is essential to avoid the intake of even very small amounts of gluten; It is enough to exceed 10 mg per day to trigger the strong reaction of the immune system that leads to damage to the wall of the small intestine and the typical symptoms of celiac disease.

Gluten is present in various cereals: to avoid it it is necessary to exclude wheat, rye, barley, spelled and triticale in all their forms and variations from your diet. It is therefore not possible to eat einkorn, spelt, greunkern, kamut and frik, nor couscous, bulgur, cracked wheat and seitan (a real gluten concentrate).

As for oats, it is possible that it contains gluten. For this reason it is good to limit yourself to consuming products that contain it only if included in the national register of gluten-free products of the Ministry of Health.

Instead, it is possible to eat for example rice, corn, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, quinoa, sorghum and their derivatives without running any risk.

If, on the other hand, the yellow color is due to the high fat content, it is good to try to limit the intake of these nutrients, reducing both the consumption of foods (processed and not) that are rich in them (such as some cuts of meat and sausages, or some baked goods) and the addition of oil.

In general, however, to limit the consequences of diarrheal discharges and in particular implement a strategy to prevent dehydration, it is good to try to promote rehydration by drinking water (perhaps with a little lemon juice, a classic “grandmother’s remedy” against diarrhea) and consuming light liquid foods (such as a vegetable broth), thus recovering lost fluids.

Taking mineral salts is instead useful to avoid deficiencies due to their reduced absorption and excessive loss with the faeces, while lactic acid bacteria can be useful to restore the balance of intestinal bacterial flora (whose composition can be altered for example following antibiotic treatment against bacterial infections).

Some foods, such as rice, are traditionally attributed an astringent effect; For this reason they are recommended in case of diarrhea.

Instead, avoid the intake of large amounts of fiber, which could promote an unwanted laxative effect when dealing with accelerated intestinal transit.