A person’s body waste can say a lot about his or her health. How often you go to the bathroom, and how much waste you expel, can indicate your general digestive health.

‘The digestive tract contains more bacterial cells than there are cells in the entire body,’ said Dr. Jean-Pierre Raufman, a gastroenterologist at University of Maryland School of Medicine. ‘It’s very important that our bowels work well to absorb necessary nutrients but also keep out any foods, chemicals and germs that could do us harm.’

While most people probably don’t want to put much thought into the act of going to the bathroom, it’s an essential body function that can tell them if something is wrong. A change in bowel movements could be due merely to a change in diet, but it could also mean the body is fighting an infection or dealing with a serious condition.

Here are five hints that your body waste could be giving you about your health.

Color

Stool color is often a reflection of what you eat. While various shades of brown are considered normal, some colors like black or yellow are not.

‘Black stool could indicate bleeding in the stomach or the first part of the […]