Floating Poop

We all know that symptoms play a key role in diagnosis of diseases. For example, fever is characterized by a rise in body temperature and migraine is characterized by headaches and other symptoms. In short, once you experience some symptoms, you seek medical attention. There are some medical conditions that may not produce any symptoms at all. In some cases, we may not notice the symptoms, either due to ignorance or simply because, they were not very obvious. Floating poop is one such condition that is mostly ignored by people. In fact, any change in the color and consistency of stools could be an indication of underlying digestive health problems. Let us take a look at the possible causes of floating stools.

Common Floating Poop Causes

As mentioned above, floating poop can be caused by a variety of reasons. While, most of these causes are diet-related, others may include certain diseases or disorders. One of the most common cause of floating poop is diarrhea, caused by gastrointestinal infection. In case of acute gastrointestinal infection, gas formation will take place in the intestines and it is this gas that makes the stools lighter, leading to floating poop. Even a change in diet may cause production of gas and floating feces. Another cause for this condition is malabsorption of nutrients and fats. Unabsorbed fat will be expelled through the feces, that becomes lighter. Other nutrients that are not absorbed in the small intestine enter the large intestine, along with the waste materials and the bacteria in the colon acts on these nutrients, releasing more gas that makes the stools float. If a person experiences diarrhea with floating poop, for more than two weeks, malabsorption could be a reason for such condition.

Medical Conditions that Cause Floating poop

The above said are some of the most common causes for floating stools in humans. In such cases, this symptom (floating poop) will disappear as the infection gets treated fully or when the body gets adjusted to the diet changes. But, there are some diseases that can cause floating stools. This include short bowel syndrome, characterized by improper absorption of nutrients due to intestinal diseases or surgical removal of a large part of the small intestine. Even congenital disorders like, biliary atresia (blockage of bile-carrying ducts) may also cause floating poop. Cystic fibrosis, abetalipoproteinemia, celiac disease, idiopathic steatorrhea, etc., are some other causes for this condition. Even a deficiency of sugar-digesting enzymes (disaccharides deficiency) like, lactase, sucrase, or isomaltase, may result in floating stools.

Now, you have a basic idea about the various causes of floating poop. This condition is also linked to weight loss as high fiber diets may cause floating stools and may lead to weight loss. Some studies regarding floating poop and weight loss suggest that a diet rich in calcium may also lead to this condition. If you experience floating stools, seek medical attention, if it lasts for more than two to three weeks or if accompanied with other symptoms, like, blood in stools or abdominal pain. You may be required to provide information about your diet, recent changes in diet, family history, color of stools, etc. You may also be asked to go for a stool sample test and some blood tests. In case, floating stools is caused by any of the above said diseases, then, treating that disease will be sufficient. In short, floating stools is not a cause of worry, if it is not persistent or if it is not accompanied with other symptoms.