TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Huang Jen-hsien (黃任嫻), director of the Department of Colorectal Medicine at Cheng Hsin General Hospital, said the color and shape of stool, as well as any symptoms experienced during bowel movements, can help assess intestinal health.
Huang noted that diarrhea or constipation is not always caused by harmful gut bacteria. She explained that the intestinal environment is complex, containing bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms, and that maintaining a healthy balance of gut flora is essential for health, per CNA.
Eating food contaminated with bacteria can cause infections and increase the number of harmful bacteria in the intestines. Conditions such as autoimmune disease or food intolerances can cause long-term inflammation, which can disturb the balance of gut bacteria. Taking too many antibiotics can also kill helpful bacteria in the body.
Huang said that having a bowel movement once every one to three days can be within a healthy range. She warned that stool appearing dark or black may indicate a stomach ulcer, while entirely dark red, paste-like stool could suggest intestinal bleeding. A stool that is regular in thickness but yellow with visible blood clots may be associated with hemorrhoids.
A persistent feeling of incomplete bowel emptying for several weeks, or stool that becomes pencil-thin and is accompanied by mucus and traces of blood, may be a sign of colorectal cancer, Huang added.
According to Lianan Clinic, probiotics are helpful microorganisms that grow in the intestines and support a healthy balance of gut bacteria. They are found in fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, and miso. Huang said that taking probiotics can help improve digestion, but their effects vary because there are many different strains and people respond differently to them.
The clinic added that when choosing probiotics, consumers should look for products that list full strain information, including the genus, species, and strain number. It also advised selecting products that contain at least 10 billion live bacteria.
