Brits have no idea what a healthy stool looks like and don’t know warning signs of bowel cancer
People spoken to in survey said they had "little" or no knowledge about bowel health
A LARGE portion of British people don't know what a "normal poo" looks like.
According to a new survey a third of the population aren't familiar what an ordinary stool looks like, and 62.7 per cent have no idea what
indicates a healthy movement.
The results mean many Brits have no idea what are the warning signs for bad bowel health - 20 per cent say thy have "little knowledge" or "know nothing."
And a quarter of us have poo which is not considered medically healthy.
Brits empty there bowels around once a day - but for some it can only be three times a week.
The survey asked 2001 adults to look at the most common stool shapes, referring to The Bristol Stool Chart, which is medically recognised.
Commissioned by Coloplast 58 per cent of people identified type four.
About 17 per cent saw type three as normal, which is like a sausage with cracks.
But 14.5 per cent chose an image which showed constipation.
Just under five per cent saw type five as most common, which indicates a possible lack of fibre.
And 4.4 per cent identified with the type one droppings which highlighted severe constipation.
It was just 4.6 per cent of participants who saw type six as normal, which is often due to inflammation and can also be a sign of cancer.
A very small 0.8 per cent said they have liquid stool as in type seven which can mean IBS.
Debra Gordon, who is head of education and medical affairs at ostomy care specialist Coloplast told Mailonline: "Our bowels play a vital role in maintaining our general health, so it’s concerning that most Brits have a very limited understanding of what healthy bowel function is.
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"For instance, constipation is a common problem but the condition is often dismissed, or even laughed off, but if left untreated can lead to more serious health problems."
Also known as a 'poo-ologist" she wants Brits to be more aware of what their poo can tell them about their bowel health: "We hope this study gets people thinking about their bowel health and gives them a better understanding of whether their stool type and pattern is healthy.
"For some, it might be that a simple lifestyle change is needed – but for others, this simple two-second stool self-assessment could be life changing.
"If people have any concerns about their bowel health, they need not to be afraid to speak up.
'If you are worried, we would always recommend booking an appointment with a GP so you can find the right solution for you."
Brits, according to the survey, like a takeaway, with a third have one at least once a week.
Over 60 per cent of those spoken to don't have enough water - which should be two litres a day.
If blood is found in stools, it usually indicates that something is not right - nearly 1.4 million cases of bowel or colorectal cancer were diagnosed in 2012, which are the most recent figures, and it is now the third most common type of cancer globally.