Here’s why you might want to start looking before you flush: your stool shape matters. Your stool can be classified into one of seven shapes, which might be helpful to you especially if you ever need to describe your bowel irregularity to your doctor. Understanding these various classifications will also help you to verify when Sunfiber helps to normalize your stool. The classifications are called the Bristol Stool Form Scale, and were developed by a team of gastroenterologists at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom for use by the medical community. It was first published in 1997 in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. The seven types of stool, based on their appearance in your toilet bowl, are:
  • Type 1: Separate hard lumps, like nuts
  • Type 2: Sausage-shaped, but lumpy
  • Type 3: Like a sausage but with cracks on its surface
  • Type 4: Like a sausage or snake, smooth and soft
  • Type 5: Soft blobs with clear cut edges
  • Type 6: Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool
  • Type 7: Watery, no solid pieces.
This is a reference tool used for symptom assessment only. In general, stools that fall into category type 3 or 4 are considered normal. If your stools are at the lower end of the scale, you may have to strain to pass them. Stools that are type 6 or 7 may be passing to easily and quickly through your system. If you are experiencing bowel irregularity, you should know that some over-the-counter fiber supplements can cause stool to become too hard or soft. We say that Sunfiber is “truly regulating” because it provides regularity in combination with healthy consistency. The supplement alleviates occasional constipation without overly degrading stool firmness, and unlike most other fiber supplements, it also helps to safely normalize diarrhea, all with less cramping or embarrassing gas!