What does it mean if your poop floats? Medics explain

It is typical for faecal matter to sink to the bottom of the toilet due to being denser than water. But sometimes, you may notice that your poop floats on the surface of the water. While floating stools are often harmless and could go away without treatment, in some cases, they could point to an underlying health condition. This is what floating stools say about your health.

Why stools float sometimes

This phenomenon has quite a number of causes, most common of them being the result of what you eat. Any dietary change could lead to the production of more gas which in turn reduces the density of the stool causing it to float.

Diets rich in fibre, fruits and vegetables could cause this to as digesting these foods releases more air during digestion. This leads to air or gas being trapped in the stool, making it float in the toilet bowl, WebMD explains. According to Mount Sinai Hospital, malabsorption could also be a cause:

Floating, greasy stools that are foul smelling may be due to severe malabsorption, particularly if you are losing weight. Malabsorption means your body is not properly absorbing nutrients.

Should you be concerned?

Relatedly, if your poop floats, there’s a slight chance you have steatorrhea, which means you have too much fat in your poop. This condition indicates you can’t absorb fat properly, and it can be a symptom of the following conditions, WebMD lists:

• Celiac disease
• Bile acid deficiency
• Diseases affecting small intestines such as tropical sprue, Whipple disease, and lymphoma

You should see a doctor if your floating stools are smelly, sticky, or bloody.

Sources used:

Medical News Today: Why does poop float? Is it normal?

Mount Sinai Health: Stools-Floating

WebMD: What to know about floating stools