dung. why? because.
Jul. 17th, 2001 06:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scottobearWhy is stool brown?
The color comes mainly from bilirubin, a pigment that arises from the breakdown of red blood cells in the liver and bone marrow. The actual metabolic pathway of bilirubin and its byproducts in the body is very complicated, so we will simply say that a lot of it ends up in the intestine, where it is further modified by bacterial action. But the color itself comes from iron. Iron in hemoglobin in red blood cells gives blood its red color, and iron in the waste product bilirubin gives rise to its brown color.
Why does my poo smell?
Poop stinks as a result of the products of bacterial action. Bacteria produce smelly, sulfur-rich organic compounds such as indole, skatole, and mercaptans, and the inorganic gas hydrogen sulfide. These are the same compounds that give farts their odor.
The color comes mainly from bilirubin, a pigment that arises from the breakdown of red blood cells in the liver and bone marrow. The actual metabolic pathway of bilirubin and its byproducts in the body is very complicated, so we will simply say that a lot of it ends up in the intestine, where it is further modified by bacterial action. But the color itself comes from iron. Iron in hemoglobin in red blood cells gives blood its red color, and iron in the waste product bilirubin gives rise to its brown color.
Why does my poo smell?
Poop stinks as a result of the products of bacterial action. Bacteria produce smelly, sulfur-rich organic compounds such as indole, skatole, and mercaptans, and the inorganic gas hydrogen sulfide. These are the same compounds that give farts their odor.
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consider yourself well and truly friended :)
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Date: 2001-07-17 03:54 pm (UTC)happy to have been informative!
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Date: 2001-07-17 04:08 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2001-07-17 04:54 pm (UTC)oh gosh, how'd I miss that one!
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Date: 2001-07-17 04:09 pm (UTC):)
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Date: 2001-07-17 04:54 pm (UTC)loss of o2, and iron will bleach poo out.
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Date: 2001-07-17 07:00 pm (UTC)Orange was a common color.. We couldn't convince her to try grape or blue anything. :) She was a good sport though.
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Date: 2001-07-17 07:12 pm (UTC)fun to play, anyhow. :)
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Date: 2001-07-18 07:34 am (UTC)hehe :-D
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Date: 2001-07-18 08:07 am (UTC)