If your poo floats after going to the toilet, you belong to the 10-15% of people who poo float.
The liquid stool is primarily caused by intestinal air in the stool. Scientists noticed in one study that the feces of certain mice without intestinal bacteria always sank straight to the bottom, while the feces of other mice always floated on top of the water. As soon as there had been bacteria in the intestines of the experimental mice, their feces also began to float.
Flots can be good or bad
The buoyancy of the faeces may also be due to an unusually high fat content.
Fatty stools are often a sign of steatosis , which refers to an abnormal amount of fat or fatty substances in the stool. Fatty feces can be caused by intestinal infections, inflammation of the pancreas or celiac disease. In such cases, floating feces is not a good thing.
Those who eat nutritious food have gut bacteria that provide plenty of air. The air that is not released when we pass wind accumulates in the stool and lifts the feces to the surface of the water. As a result, loose stools are a sign of good health because many bacteria that break down fiber have a positive effect on health.
However, pathogenic bacteria can also produce air, so the health effects really depend on the bacteria causing the air production.
That’s why faeces float
Air-producing microbes keep the faeces high in the water.
