How to Treat Yellow Stool

Medically reviewed by Erik Kramer, DO, MPH

Last Updated: January 29, 2022 References

Getting up from the toilet and seeing yellow stools can be alarming, but they might be easy to treat depending on the cause. Work with your doctor to figure out what’s causing your stools to turn yellow. Once you identify the problem, follow your doctor’s instructions and make lifestyle changes as needed to improve your condition. With some time, effort, and the right treatment, you can work towards having normal bowel movements again.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Identifying the Cause of Yellow Stools

1
Examine your diet for foods that might be affecting your stool color. If you’re eating an excess of foods that contain high levels of beta carotene, then this can cause your stools to turn a shade of orange or yellow. Eating lots of foods that contain yellow or orange food coloring may have a similar effect. Likewise, a high level of fat in your diet may also cause your stools to look yellow due to problems with digestion, such as from your pancreas not releasing enough enzymes to break down the fat. Do a thorough review of your diet to identify potential problem foods.^{[1]
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- For example, if you eat lots of carrots and sweet potatoes, this may color your stools and make them appear orange or yellow.
- If you eat lots of fried, greasy, or other high-fat foods, this may be causing your stools to look yellow.
Tip: Try keeping a food diary for a week or longer to see if there are any patterns between the foods you eat and your stool color.
2
Find out if you might have celiac disease. Stool may sometimes appear lighter than normal or a shade of yellow if you are unable to tolerate gluten.^{[2]
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Research source} See your doctor if you experience digestive discomfort or have diarrhea for more than 2 weeks. Your doctor can run a blood test to diagnose celiac disease. Other symptoms of celiac disease include:^{[3]
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- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Gas and bloating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Constipation
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3
Get checked for giardiasis if you have bright yellow diarrhea. Giardiasis is caused by a parasite and it often results in yellow diarrhea.^{[4]
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Research source} Your doctor will need a stool sample, or possibly several samples, to diagnose giardiasis. Sometimes giardiasis doesn’t cause any symptoms, so ask your doctor to check for this even if the only issue you’re having is yellow stools. However if you do have other symptoms of giardiasis, they may include:^{[5]
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- Gas
- Abdominal cramping
- Nausea or upset stomach
- Dehydration
- Greasy stools that float
4
Ask your doctor to check for liver, pancreas, and gallbladder problems. There are a variety of conditions that may affect your liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. An issue with one or more of these organs may affect the amount of bile salts available to break down food. This may result in yellow feces. However, your doctor will have to run blood tests to detect a problem with the gallbladder, pancreas, or liver.^{[6]
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- Tell your doctor if you’ve experienced any fatigue or abdominal discomfort along with the yellow stools.^{[7]
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- Some of the conditions that may affect your liver, gallbladder, and pancreas include jaundice, hepatitis C, cirrhosis, gallstones, pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer.^{[8]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Medical Treatment Options

1
Take any medications your doctor prescribes to treat giardiasis. You’ll need a prescription medication to treat the giardiasis infection if that’s causing your poop to turn yellow. Follow your doctor’s instructions carefully for how to take the medication and keep taking it until it is gone or your doctor tells you to stop.^{[9]
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Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source} Some common medications used to treat giardiasis include:^{[10]
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- Metronidazole (Flagyl)
- Tinidazole (Tindamax)
- Nitazoxanide (Alinia)
Tip: Giardiasis may be caused by drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food, not washing your hands, or coming into contact with feces during sex. Use good hygiene and avoid any food or water that may be contaminated to prevent an infection.^{[11]
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
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2
Ask about treatment for a liver, pancreas, or gallbladder problem. There are several conditions that may affect the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. If you’ve been diagnosed with something that is affecting one of these organs and causing your poop to turn yellow, you’ll need to discuss your treatment options with a physician.^{[12]
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- For example, if you’ve been diagnosed with gallstones, you may need surgery to remove your gallbladder.
3
Discuss treatment for pancreatic cancer if you’ve been diagnosed. Although this is a rare potential cause of yellow poop, it’s important to seek medical attention for it. If you’ve been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, work with your doctor to design a treatment plan. Seek support from friends and family members as you make decisions about your treatment plan. Don't try to go through this process alone.^{[13]
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- Treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or palliative care.^{[14]
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- You might consider going to a cancer support group in your area to meet other people who are undergoing treatment.
- Keep in mind that new and improved options are always coming out for cancer treatment. Ask your doctor about any new treatment options that have shown promising results.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Trying Lifestyle Modifications

1
Follow a healthy, balanced diet. Avoid eating too much of any one type of food if you think this might be causing your poop to turn yellow. Eat lots of fruits and veggies, but vary the types you eat. Strive for a colorful diet that includes red, yellow, orange, purple, and green fruits and veggies. Don’t eat too much of any one type of food.^{[15]
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- For example, your breakfast might include oatmeal with blueberries and a skim milk latte, then for lunch you might have a turkey sandwich on rye bread with a side of baby carrots. For dinner, you could enjoy a bowl of pasta with broccoli on the side. In between meals, you can snack on fresh fruit, yogurt, and pretzels.
2
Eliminate gluten from your diet if you have celiac disease. Switching to a gluten-free diet may solve the problem of yellow stools if you have celiac disease. Many foods are naturally gluten-free, such as fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. However, you’ll need to look for gluten-free alternatives to bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, and cookies. Check labels to ensure that everything you buy is gluten-free.^{[16]
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- Gluten-free foods will usually have a special note on the label that indicates that they are gluten-free.
- You can also read the ingredients and avoid products that contain wheat, wheat gluten, durum, semolina, barley, bulgur, farina, rye, graham flour, malt, spelt, and triticale.^{[17]
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Tip: Check to see if your grocery store has a gluten-free section. This might make finding gluten-free products easier. However, it’s still important to check any items you find in this section to see if they’re gluten-free.
3
Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. If you’ve been diagnosed with giardiasis, you'll be prone to dehydration. Drink water whenever you are thirsty or after any period of excessive sweating, such as after a workout.^{[18]
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- Carry a reusable water bottle with you during the day and refill it as needed.
- Try adding a wedge of lemon or lime if you’re not a fan of the taste of plain water.
4
Use relaxation techniques to control stress. High stress levels may affect your bowel habits over time.^{[19]
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Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source} To help regulate your bowels, devote at least 15 minutes per day to relaxation. Try incorporating a relaxation technique into your daily routine. Some strategies you might try include: