Seek prompt medical care if you have white stool unless a specific cause, such as prolonged antacid use or a recent barium study, can be identified.
White stool can be associated with a serious medical condition
.
How do you cure white stool?
Commonly prescribed medications include
cholestyramine (Questran)
to treat itching and ursodiol (Urso Forte), which aids in removing bile from the bloodstream. Your doctor may also suggest taking vitamins A, K, E, and D, to replace the nutrients that are lost in the fatty stools.
What is white in my poop?
Pale, white, or clay-colored
Bile is a digestive fluid that comes from your liver and gallbladder, so if you’re producing white stool, it probably means
your duct is blocked
. Pale poop could also be a side-effect of certain medications like anti-diarrhea medicine.
What causes light colored stool?
Light-colored or clay-colored stools are often seen with
diseases of the liver or bile ducts
. The pale stool may be caused by pancreatic cancer that blocks the bile ducts. Lack of bile causes stool to lose its brown color and leaves it appearing pale.
Is it bad if your poop is white?
Most of the time, poop that’s a different color from what you’re used to isn’t something to worry about. It’s
rare
for it to be a sign of a serious condition in your digestive system. But if it’s white, bright red, or black, and you don’t think it’s from something you ate, call your doctor.
What is an unhealthy poop?
Types of abnormal poop
pooping too often (more than three times daily) not pooping often enough (less than three times a week)
excessive straining when pooping
. poop that is colored red, black, green, yellow, or white. greasy, fatty stools.
What color is your stool if you have liver problems?
The liver releases bile salts into the stool, giving it a
normal brown color
. You may have clay-colored stools if you have a liver infection that reduces bile production, or if the flow of bile out of the liver is blocked. Yellow skin (jaundice) often occurs with clay-colored stools.
What food causes white poop?
A common source of white specks in the stool is
undigested food
. Sometimes foods that are difficult to digest — like quinoa, nuts, seeds, high-fiber vegetables, and corn — can actually move through the digestive tract without fully digesting. This can cause small white flecks in the stool.
What does GREY white poop mean?
White. If stools are white, gray, or pale, a person may have an issue with the liver or gallbladder as
pale stools suggest a lack of bile
. Some anti-diarrhea medications cause white stools.
What do long skinny poops mean?
Narrowing of the stool may be due to a mass in the colon or rectum that limits the size of the stool that can pass through it. Conditions that cause diarrhea can also cause pencil
thin stools
. Persistent pencil thin stool, which may be solid or loose, is one of the symptoms of colorectal polyps or cancer.
What does white poop mean in adults?
White stool isn’t normal and should be evaluated promptly by a doctor. White or clay-like stool is
caused by a lack of bile
, which may indicate a serious underlying problem. Bile is a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder.
What does malabsorption poop look like?
When there is inadequate absorption of fats in the digestive tract, stool contains excess fat and is
light-colored, soft, bulky, greasy, and unusually foul-smelling
(such stool is called steatorrhea). The stool may float or stick to the side of the toilet bowl and may be difficult to flush away.
What color is stool with pancreatitis?
Chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, a blockage in the pancreatic duct, or cystic fibrosis can also turn your
stool yellow
. These conditions prevent your pancreas from providing enough of the enzymes your intestines need to digest food.
Does IBS cause light colored stool?
Yellow stool and IBS anxiety
When you have IBS you might be accustomed to changes in stool size and consistency, but a change in color might be initially alarming. In many cases, it is unlikely that it is a change that should cause concern. However, for many people,
anxiety can be an IBS trigger
.
What does pale poop look like?
Stools that are pale, white, or look like
clay or putty
may be the result of a lack of bile or caused by a blockage in the bile ducts. Stools that are light in color or look like clay can also occur after a test in the colon that uses barium (such as a barium enema), because the barium may be passed in the stool.
Is light brown poop OK?
All shades of brown and even green are considered normal
. Only rarely does stool color indicate a potentially serious intestinal condition. Stool color is generally influenced by what you eat as well as by the amount of bile — a yellow-green fluid that digests fats — in your stool.
