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We now know why some poos float and others sink

15 points| devilcius | 3 years ago |newscientist.com

7 comments

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Trouble_007|3 years ago

Bristol Stool Scale : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_stool_scale

Flatulence : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence

FODMAP : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FODMAP

>showed this was largely to do with the gas content of faeces, not fat content, as was previously assumed.

>Duane revealing to Levitt that his poos always floated. “About 2 hours after our discussion,

he passed a stool, we put it in a flask, pressurised the flask and watched the stool sink, demonstrating the stool floated because of its gas content,”

Levitt and Duane believed this gas must have come from gut bacteria that became incorporated in the faeces,

because two floaters they tested contained high levels of methane gas,

  which is made by bacteria that ferment carbohydrates as they pass through the large intestine.**

jollyllama|3 years ago

>Whether people produce floaters or sinkers may depend on their diet, genetics, how they were delivered at birth and their environment, since all of these factors are known to influence the mix of bacteria found in the gut, says Kannan.

As the article says, diet can play a role. For example, I think a high fat diet (like keto) is more likely to cause floating.

sph|3 years ago

I'm on a high fat diet and I don't think I've ever seen it float in my life.

Someone else in this thread has pointed to methane from carbohydrate consumption, which is the opposite of what you're saying.

is_true|3 years ago

One thing that has a lot of impact is dehydration. You can check the bristol scale to learn more about your body

kreid1|3 years ago

Get them probiotics!!!