Then, your colon prepares your body to get rid of the waste by passing stool (poop).

Your colon is three inches wide at its widest point, the cecum.

It’s just under an inch wide at its narrowest point, the sigmoid colon.

Male large intestine anatomy, illustration

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Adults Poop About 128 Grams Every Day

The weight of poop varies from person to person.

Poop isn’t the only weight in your GI tract.

Your rectum is usually empty after a bowel movement.

Man and his doctor look at colon X-ray

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Experts say it may be better to invest in healthier foods than costly colon cleanses and unproven treatments.

This length of time is known as transit time and can be measured with acolonic transit time test.

Average transit times vary depending on the person.

Wall clock

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But research doesn’t support this.

The frequency of bowel movements varies widelyamongindividuals and varies widelyforany single individual.

The majority of these organisms are bacteria.

man outside a public rest room

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However, since stool is made up in large part of bacteria, fecal matter is continuously being formed.

Its main purpose is to absorb water and electrolytes from the material passed from the small intestine.

This material is then formed into a stool that can be passed during the process of a bowel movement.

illustration of various bacteria

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The opposite comes up whenever a person experiencesconstipation.

It tends to weigh less because of lower water content.

Meals Can Trigger a Bowel Movement

One of your body’s reflexes is thegastrocolic reflex.

row of glasses with various amounts of water

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Large meals and fatty meals appear to cause a greater gastrocolic reflex and may prompt the need to poop.

This information is useful for those who are prone to either constipation or diarrhea.

The person prone to diarrhea should stick to small, low-fat meals.

Close-Up Of Glass Jar On Table At Restaurant

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Various factors can affect stool color.

Healthy stools typically fall into the brown range but can be yellow or orange as well.

Healthy stool also can be seen in different shapes.

Dagwood sandwich, close-up

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TheBristol stool chartdescribes seven types of poop, ranging from too hard to watery, without solid matter.

Types 3 and 4 are considered normal.

Notify your healthcare provider if your stools are bright or dark red, or black or tar-colored.

group of colorful stools

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This may be a sign of internal bleeding.

Therefore, a person can have their colon removed and continue to have a healthy life.

Some health conditions, likecolon cancerorinflammatory bowel disease, may make it necessary to remove a person’s colon.

Nothing beats the company of good friends!

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In some of these cases, a procedure called acolostomyis done.

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