In most cases, foul-smelling poop is the result of the eaten food. For example, after having a spicy meal or eating too much meat, it is expected that the stool will smell different than usual. However, in some cases, the reason why foul-smelling poop can be a medical condition, including malabsorption (the typical situation when the small intestine absorbs food material, particularly fats, imperfectly for some reason). There are various factors that cause smelly poop. Keep reading and find the solutions here!
What Causes Foul-Smelling Poop?
An unpleasant odor of the stool is perfectly normal and comes from bacteria which are natural inhabitants of the colon and help digestion. Every change in poop odor is either a result of a change in the usual diet or a reaction to some disease. Reasons for smelly poop occurrence can be:
1. Diet
The primary reason for malodorous stools is commonly a diet high in sulfur or hardly digested lactose such as:
- Meat
- Milk and milk products
- Sugar
- Vegetables rich in fiber (broccoli, kale, and cabbage)
Keep in mind that vegetables always produce less smell than meat because, after eating meat, intestinal bacteria produce more compounds which contain sulfur. The fact is that sulfur - smells terrible! And changes in diet can affect the odor of one or two poops. If that issue lasts longer, consultations with a doctor are required.
2. Disease
The most common medical conditions that cause foul-smelling stool are:
- Nutrient malabsorption
When nutrients can't be absorbed in the regular way, foul-smelling stool occurs. The usual causes of these conditions are gluten or lactose intolerance and food allergies.
- Medications
Many drugs and supplements, including antibiotics, disrupt the gut bacteria while taken, and they cause a foul-smelling stool.
- Chronic gallstones
These formed deposits are usually made in the gallbladder. Common symptoms of this issue, along with a foul-smelling stool, are nausea and vomiting as well as loss of appetite and weight loss.
- Intestinal infection
The issue with inflamed intestines can be very severe. It appears after eating food contaminated with viruses, E. coli, or parasites.
- Irritable bowel syndrome
This is a common problem during stressful times. This chronic condition affects the large intestine and often cause smelly poop followed by stomach pain, diarrhea or constipation, flatulence, and cramps.
- Ulcerative colitis
Affecting the large intestine, this medical condition causes inflammation and consequently smelling, bloody stool, diarrhea, and bowel movements.
- Celiac disease
This immune disease occurs because of damage to the small intestine by gluten. Along with a smelly stool, the usual symptoms are fatigue, nausea, and stomach bloating. The solution to this issue is a gluten-free diet.
- Acute pancreatitis
Usually, the pancreas produces enzymes which digest food in the small intestine. In the case of disease, these enzymes can be activated in the organ itself and cause inflammation with symptoms such as smelly poop, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever.
How to Treat Foul-Smelling Poop?
If foul smelling stool occurs only for a day or two, the reason for that smell is probably food. After changing the diet, everything will return to normal. If that unusual odor lasts longer, talk to a doctor to find the primary cause of the problem.
Home care
Sometimes it is possible to solve this unpleasant issue at home. Some home remedies that may help include:
- Water
Water is crucial for regular digestion and absorption of nutrients. The only way to keep the process taking place without any problem is to stay adequately hydrated.
- Probiotics supplements
Taking probiotics is an easy solution for smelly poop caused by an imbalance of gut bacteria. These supplements quickly solve the problem by rebalancing bacteria, which consequently makes digestion easier.
- Natural probiotic foods
Yogurts and fermented foods can help with keeping the gastrointestinal system balanced. These foods directly regulate the number of gut bacteria and their functioning.
- Magnesium-rich foods
Foods such as pumpkin and sesame seeds, leafy, mustard, and beet greens, nuts, and spinach are rich in magnesium. Since magnesium deficiency often causes foul-smelling poop, the introduction of these foods in the diet can help to solve the problem.
When to See a Doctor
The disease is probably the cause of smelly, liquid stool that is out of the ordinary and lasts more than a few days. Also, pay attention to blood in feces or stool that misses for more than three days. The only way to solve the problem is a consultation with a physician and treatment of the underlying condition.
Some Interesting Facts About Poop
Only about 25% of the stool volume is a solid mass and consists of some living and dead bacteria from the bowels, insoluble fibrous foods (beans, oat bran, seeds, corn, carrots, and nuts), food waste, as well as bile and mucus from the liver and intestines. The remaining 75% is water.
Disturbance in bowel function
When a disorder in a bowel movement occurs for any reason, including supplements, diet, infection, or medications, the balance of stool content will be disturbed. In such cases, it is possible that the following may occur:
- Constipation
This condition is caused by a slow passing stool through the large intestine. Spontaneous pooping can be disrupted due to surgery, medications, childbirth trauma, and other reasons which can slow bowel transit. The result is an occurrence of massive and heavy poop.
- Diarrhea
In a situation when stool is too watery and quickly passes through the large intestine, a problem with diarrhea occurs. It is often a symptom of an allergic reaction to food or gastrointestinal infection, but the reason can be anxiety and stress as well. If diarrhea lasts for a few days or longer, it may be a sign of a more severe medical condition.
- Bowel incontinence
An uncomfortable condition when it is not possible to hold the stool because it is impossible to control bowel movements for various medical reasons.
The weight of stool
Normal stool sinks, but in some cases, it is possible noticing that poop floats. This situation is often entirely normal and means that feces are less dense. Until recently, experts believed that floating stool is a result of excessive fat content, but results of some new studies show that the reason can be surplus air from unabsorbed carbohydrates.
After food rich in carbs ferments in the colon, extra gases are created and released, which results in a light stool which floats. Gases in the stool can also be caused by lactose intolerance, artificial sweeteners, and sweet alcoholic drinks.
However, it is still not possible to exclude the possibility that extra fat causes the floating faces because intestines can't absorb excess fat entered by food. In rare cases, steatorrhea (fatty and floating poop) is a signal that the body can't digest and absorb fat properly.
Normal stool is well-formed and soft and passes through bowels without straining or urgency. Every sudden change in the regular bowel pattern that lasts more than a few days demands consultations with a physician.
Summary
The reasons for the foul-smelling poop are often entirely harmless. In most cases, excluding foods that lead to producing gases is the only cure needed. If the cause of this unpleasant symptom is a medical issue, consultation with a medical practitioner and a treatment of the underlined disease is necessary.