Have you looked at your poop lately? It could save your life, according to gastroenterologist Dr. Trisha Pasricha.<\/p>\n
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As colorectal cancers have become the leading cause of cancer death<\/a> in people under 50, Pasricha has noticed a disturbing pattern in her patients. Some of them take a “flush it and forget it” approach to their bowel movements, missing key information about their health.<\/p>\n “There’s a lot of embarrassment about even saying that you look and then using the right words to describe what it is that you saw,” she told Business Insider.<\/p>\n Subtle changes to bathroom habits \u2014 like unexplained diarrhea, constipation, or an urgent need to go \u2014 may be an early sign of colon cancer<\/a>, which often doesn’t cause symptoms until advanced stages that are harder to treat.<\/p>\n “The big problem is that we’re catching them late,” Pasricha said of colon cancer diagnoses. “The stage at which you catch these early onset cases is everything.”<\/p>\n Her new book, “You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong,” details how your digestion can be an important indicator of your overall health, including your risk of colon cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n She offers tips on understanding what changes to your bowel movements might mean for your health, and when to talk to your doctor.<\/p>\n “When we’re talking about pooping, it’s really not just about the poop itself. It’s about this whole system,” she said.<\/p>\n How to tell if your poop is normal<\/p>\n Pasricha said the first step toward “poophoria,” or bathroom bliss, is getting a baseline of what your poop typically looks like.<\/p>\n While there are some general guidelines about different types of stool, from watery to “fluffy” to sausage-shaped, the standard for a healthy poop<\/a> can vary widely between people.<\/p>\n “The only way you even know what is your normal is to look,” she said. “You’ve got to look every day.”<\/p>\n From there, you can start noting how your digestive system reacts to changes in your routine, such as when you’re traveling, when you’re stressed, or when you eat certain foods.<\/p>\n Pasricha said there’s no telltale poop that always signifies colon cancer, and even the healthiest poop doesn’t guarantee you’re cancer-free.<\/p>\n “The disturbing thing about it is that it might look a little different for different people,” she said.<\/p>\n That’s why it’s important to keep track of changes and talk to your doctor about any shift in your habits that persists for more than a few weeks.<\/p>\n “It can be as simple as new diarrhea or going more frequently that just wasn’t my pattern before. It may not be completely disrupting my life,” she said.<\/p>\n Warning signs of colon cancer<\/p>\n While a visual check of your poop can’t definitively diagnose colon cancer \u2014 you’ll need a\u00a0colonoscopy or other test<\/a>\u00a0for that \u2014 there are two warning signs that warrant a prompt medical visit.<\/p>\n Colon cancer can sometimes cause narrow or thin stools<\/a> that are ribbon- or pencil-like. It’s not a sure-fire sign of cancer, but worth discussing with your doctor, especially if it’s consistent over time.<\/p>\n “If there is a particularly large tumor, that might compress the stool and make it thinner on the way out,” Pasricha said.<\/p>\n Common colon cancer signs and symptoms:<\/p>\n Abdominal painCrampingBowel movements changes Rectal bleedingDiarrheaConstipationAn urgent need to goFatigueAnemia<\/p>\n The second, and most crucial, sign of a problem is bleeding after a bowel movement: in the toilet bowl, on the toilet paper, or mixed into the stool. It can be bright red or black and tarry.<\/p>\n Rectal bleeding<\/a> is among the most common symptoms of early-onset colon cancer. While patients might feel ashamed to mention it, seeing a doctor right away is crucial to rule out more innocuous potential causes like hemorrhoids or IBD.<\/p>\n “Bleeding in any form is one big literal red flag,” Pasricha said. “I want to hear when you have blood the day or two after you saw it, maybe even same day.”<\/p>\n