{"id":5964,"date":"2023-07-25T22:32:51","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T15:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5964"},"modified":"2023-07-25T22:32:51","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T15:32:51","slug":"poop-that-floats-6-possible-causes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5964","title":{"rendered":"Poop That Floats: 6 Possible Causes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">T<\/span>aking a glance in the toilet bowl after you go is only natural. With that, you probably notice that your poop usually sinks. So\u2026what does it mean if your poop suddenly floats? Experts say that floaters can happen because of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/foods-that-make-you-poop-immediately\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/foods-that-make-you-poop-immediately\/\"> changes in your diet<\/a>\u2014or they can be a sign of an underlying, and sometimes even serious, health condition. Here, find out everything you ever wanted to know about poop that floats (and then some).<\/div>\n<h2>Why might your poop float?<\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s a wide range here. Poop that floats could be nothing\u2014or it could be something for your doctor to look into.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gas: <\/strong>\u201cThe most common reason for floating stools is your diet and, typically, gas within your diet,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.providence.org\/doctors\/profile\/198965-rudolph-albert-bedford\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.providence.org\/doctors\/profile\/198965-rudolph-albert-bedford\">Rudolph Bedford, MD<\/a>, a gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. \u201cPeople on a high-fiber diet may have floating stools.\u201d For most people, if you cut back on the fruit and veggies for a few days, your poop may start sinking to the bottom again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Malabsorption: <\/strong>Floating poop can also be a sign that your body isn\u2019t absorbing nutrients as well as it should, especially if your BMs are particularly stinky or have an oily sheen, says <a href=\"https:\/\/umg.rwjms.rutgers.edu\/doctor_page.php?phys_id=125744\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/umg.rwjms.rutgers.edu\/doctor_page.php?phys_id=125744\">Ellen M. Stein, MD<\/a>, associate professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. \u201cOne cause of oily, floating stools is malabsorption from lack of pancreatic enzymes,\u201d she says. \u201cPatients with a history of pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, or pancreatic enzyme insufficiency can have not enough pancreatic enzymes in their guts.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/poop-that-floats\/\" current-title=\"Here\u2019s What It Means If Your Poop Floats, According to Gastroenterologists\" current-image=\"GettyImages-poop-that-floats-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-01-25\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/poop-that-floats\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/poop-that-floats\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/poop-that-floats\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Those enzymes help digest proteins and fats and, without those enzymes, the nutrients are quickly shuttled through the gut and aren\u2019t absorbed as well as they should be, Dr. Stein says. In this case, the nutrients are digested a little by gut bacteria, which leads to a \u201cfoul smell,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fat and oil tends to float to the surface of the water\u2014because oil and water don&#8217;t mix and oil and fat are lighter than the water,\u201d Dr. Stein explains.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nutrient intolerance: <\/strong>Having a lactose intolerance or other intolerance to certain nutrients can also cause floating poop, Dr. Stein says. \u201cThe rapid transit doesn&#8217;t provide enough time for the enzymes to work on the food and the same types of fatty floating stools happen\u2014usually without an oily sheen,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Olestra: <\/strong>Eating a lot of olestra, which is a fat substitute in some potato chips and other products, can also cause poop to float, Dr. Stein adds. \u201cThis is a deliberately designed non-absorbable fat, and it will cause this type of oily, watery stool,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Giardia: <\/strong>Something else to consider: The parasite giardia, which can be picked up from drinking from freshwater lakes and streams, can also cause foul-smelling, greasy poop that floats, per the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/parasites\/giardia\/general-info.html#:~:text=Giardia%20infection%20(giardiasis)%20can%20cause,greasy%20poop%20that%20can%20float\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/parasites\/giardia\/general-info.html#:~:text=Giardia%20infection%20(giardiasis)%20can%20cause,greasy%20poop%20that%20can%20float\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Possible cancer symptom: <\/strong>While unlikely the cause of your floating poop, it\u2019s important to mention that floating, greasy BMs may also be a symptom of pancreatic cancer, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/types\/pancreatic-cancer\/detection-diagnosis-staging\/signs-and-symptoms.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/types\/pancreatic-cancer\/detection-diagnosis-staging\/signs-and-symptoms.html\">American Cancer Society<\/a> says. It may also be a sign of colon cancer, Stein says.<\/p>\n<h2>How common is this?<\/h2>\n<p>In general, it\u2019s more common for poop to sink instead of float, Dr. Bedford says. Exactly how common floating BMs are is tough to say for sure, though. A 1972 study published in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJM197205042861804\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJM197205042861804\"><em>The New England Journal of Medicine<\/em><\/a> looked at the poop of 33 healthy subjects, and found that nine had poop that floated, while 24 had poop that sank. But this is an old study that was small, making it hard to take too much away from it.<\/p>\n<p>As for potential causes of health conditions and illnesses that may impact your poop, it varies. \u201cIt\u2019s relatively uncommon to get pancreatic enzyme deficiency,\u201d Dr. Stein says. \u201cIt\u2019s <em>very <\/em>common to experience lactose intolerance. Giardia sometimes happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>When should you see a doctor?<\/h2>\n<p>If your poop floats once or twice and this isn\u2019t a consistent thing for you, Dr. Bedford says it\u2019s probably related to your diet. But if this is regularly happening for you, Dr. Stein recommends that you check in with your primary care physician.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you have a change in bowel habits, your doctor will ask for a sample of stool to be sent to the lab to check for infections or other causes,\u201d Dr. Stein says. \u201cIf you continue to experience symptoms beyond a few weeks, a colonoscopy with biopsies may be recommended to make sure there are no concerns for colitis (inflammation of the colon), cancer (colon cancer), or other issues that could be contributing to your symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Is there anything you can do about poop that floats?<\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s nothing about floating poop on its own that\u2019s harmful. But if you notice you\u2019re regularly having floaters, it\u2019s a good idea to talk to your doctor to make sure you\u2019re not dealing with an underlying health condition. They can help determine the likely cause and, from there, can suggest a personalized solution.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taking a glance in the toilet bowl after you go is only natural. With that, you probably notice that your poop usually sinks. So\u2026what does it mean if your poop suddenly floats? Experts say that floaters can happen because of changes in your diet\u2014or they can be a sign of an underlying, and sometimes even &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}