Jennifer B asks:
Hi! I'm a female teenager. I have always had nice floating BMs. Recently, I have been noticing a change. They are all sinking, and are a dark green in color instead of my normal brown. What does this mean?
Dr. Adams responds:
For the most part, it has to do with diet. A diet high in fats and oils will create BM's that float. The BM's from a high fat diet also may be bubbly or sudsy. On the other hand, a diet high in vegetables and soluable fiber will create heavy BM's that will sink.
What else can play a role in sinking or floating BM's? Certain diseases certainly can. Any disease that prevents the absorption of fat will create fatty floating BM's. A few that come to my mind are cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis, bacterial overgrowth syndrome, biliary cirrhosis or stricture, and also after removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy)
-- Dr. Adams
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Dr. Adams is a resident in the Department of Internal Medicine at North Shore University Hopsital in Manhasset, NY. Got a question for him?
