So your pee usually comes out yellow(ish) and your stool comes out brown(ish), but there is one color we just do not want to see in either of them–red. Passing red can certainly be worrisome, making you think about hematuria, internal bleeding, a UTI, or some STD/STI.
But this may actually not be anything serious. In fact, this may just be something you ate: Beets.
In addition, beet roots contain a chemical called betacyanin, or the red beetroot pigment, which some people cannot biologically breakdown. The betacynanin would then pass in your urine (also known as “beeturia”) or in your stool, giving it a red/pink coloring which can easily be mistaken as blood but is not known to be harmful. Research has not shown any strong correlation between breaking down the pigment and hereditary genes, and much is still to be understood about various factors, such as stomach acid levels, that could influence betacyanin metabolism [2, 3].
So if you see red next time you relieve yourself, it may not be a sign of an STD/STI or internal bleeding, but rather just your body getting rid of that betacyanin from beets. Phew!
