Seeing your poop float might surprise you.
But it’s usually nothing to worry about.
More often than not, it’s related to something you ate.
Verywell / Joshua Seong, Verywell
Other times, floating poop can be a symptom of an underlying condition.
If you’re experiencing other symptoms as well, consider talking to your healthcare provider.
The extra air from the gas makes poop less dense, or packed.
This leads it to float when it hits the toilet bowl.
Your intestines, orbowels, are part of yourdigestive system.
They help your body break down and digest food.
Have you noticed you feelgassy after you eat specific foods?
That’s because certain types of foods can produce gas.
For instance, prunes, apples, peaches, and sugar-free foods contain sorbitol.
Sodas, honey, and fruit juices are high in fructose.
If your floating stool is a result of gas-producing food, there’s some good news.
Your poop should return to normal after youeat less of the foods that bother you.
It can make the stool greasy, foul smelling, and cause it to float.
Unexplained weight loss can also be a sign of malabsorption.
Malabsorption can have many causes such as medications or damage to the intestinal lining due to medical conditions.
High Fat Content in Stool
Fatty stool, known assteatorrhea, can cause it to float.
This may happen occasionally after eating a fatty meal.
However, if it happens often it can be a sign of malabsorption from a medical condition.
Lactose Intolerance
People withlactose intolerancemay have floating poop when they eat dairy products.
It can also help to drink plenty of water.
The damage to the intestinal lining can lead to malabsorption and cause stool to float.
The excess thyroid hormones can affect the digestive system and lead to malabsorption.
A 2015 study published in theEuropean Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatologyexamined people with IBS.
The researchers concluded that floating stools were a characteristic feature of IBS.
In fact, 26% of the adults in the study reported having floating stools.
Infection
A gastrointestinal infection can lead to malabsorption and changes in stool.
Chronic Pancreatitis
Chronic pancreatitisoccurs when there’s inflammation in your pancreas.
The condition is usually a result ofgallstonesor long-term alcohol abuse.
It often occurs after acute, or sudden, pancreatitis.
It’s also linked todiabetes.
While floating stool is common in pancreatitis, you may experience other symptoms as well.
Stomach pain, back pain, bloating, and weight loss are all common.
Cystic fibrosis treatment often involvesdigestive enzyme supplementssimilar to those your pancreas normally releases.
Sclerosing Cholangitis
Sclerosing cholangitisaffects the bile ducts in and around your liver.
It’s closely linked withulcerative colitis, another pop in of inflammatory bowel disease.
The condition is marked by inflammation, scarring, and destruction of these bile ducts.
The condition doesn’t provoke any symptoms unless the stone blocks the bile duct.
As well as floating stools, you might feel pain in the right upper or middle upper stomach.
The pain usually lasts for at least 30 minutes.
Fever, jaundice, nausea, and vomiting can also occur.
You may lose your appetite.
Pancreatic Cancer
Althoughpancreatic cancerisn’t common, it’s another potential cause for floating stool.
One of the first symptoms of pancreatic cancer is jaundice, or yellowing eyes and skin.
But that’s not all.
Jaundice can also be characterized by certain stool changes.
It can causepale or gray stools, as well as greasy, floating stools.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Stools that sometimes float shouldn’t alarm you.
That said, some types of stool changes may be symptoms of a condition that requires treatment.
Steatorrhea, or fatty stool,is often because of an underlying condition.
Consult your healthcare provider if you notice changes in your bowel habits that last more than two weeks.
It may involve slight diet changes or treating an underlying medical condition.
Lifestyle Treatment Options
Floating stool due to excess gas is often harmless and goes away without treatment.
That way, you’re free to test if those foods contribute to floating stools.
Your healthcare provider may also suggest that youkeep a record of the foods you eatand yourbowel movements.
Treating the Underlying Condition
Malabsorption and/or steatorrhea can cause your stool to float.
The treatments will depends on the primary condition behind it.
For example, those with celiac disease will follow a gluten-free diet.
Those with cystic fibrosis may take a digestive enzyme supplement.
Prevention
If a certain food makes gas worse, you might not have to avoid it.
you might find enzyme supplements over the counter.
These supplements can help you digest certain foods, such as beans and milk.
Eating smaller portions can also help.
Many foods that can cause gas also have positive traits.
Beans, for instance, have about 10 grams of fiber per cup and are rich in antioxidants.
Certain foods you eat can give you gas.
The main culprits are lactose in milk products, soluble fiber, or sugars in food.
It could be raffinose in beans, fructose in fruit, or sorbitol in prunes.
But certain conditions can also cause excessive gas or malabsorption, which results in your poop floating.
Consult your healthcare provider if you’re experiencing other symptoms or if your problem doesn’t go away.
Azer SA, Sankararaman S.Steatorrhea.
In: StatPearls [Internet].
Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.
Zhang YZ, Li YY.Inflammatory bowel disease: pathogenesis.World J Gastroenterol.
2014;20:9199. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i1.91
Celiac Disease Foundation.Symptoms of celiac disease.
2015;27(8):968-973. doi:10.1097/MEG.0000000000000380
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Whipple’s disease.
Pham A, Forsmark C.Chronic pancreatitis: review and update of etiology, risk factors, and management.F1000Res.
2018;7:F1000 Faculty Rev-607.
2012;184(8):884-892. doi:10.1503/cmaj.110896
American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
2009;79(12):1098-1100.
