# Anal leakage really exists! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2008, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-leakage-really-exists/474984 "2008-11-29T23:20:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cedman)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-leakage-really-exists/474984/1 "2008-11-29T23:20:59Z")
The first time I heard this expression was here on The Dope. I _thought_ it was just one of the many terms unique to this board or maybe the 'net. BUT! Lo and behold, I overheard a conversation where some healthcare people were discussing the care provided and it came up in the conversation as a concern but not something that would impact the patient’s care; just something to be aware of when dealing with this particular person. So… what do you do about anal leakage? Can anything be done? Maybe we could utilize persimmion suppositiories? alum enemas? corks? tampons? :eek: Seriously, what can a person do to reduce or eliminate this problem? ---
**Author:** ![crazy\_janey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@crazy\_janey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazy_janey)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-leakage-really-exists/474984/2 "2008-11-29T23:53:45Z")
In what context? I have heard this come up in regards to the “diet” drug Xenical, now available over the counter as Alli. Anal leakage is one of the side effects; since the fat is not being absorbed by the body, it has to go somewhere, namely out. (Eeeewwww…) Anyway, I have heard of people taking fiber supplements such as Metamucil to help absorb the excess fat. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-leakage-really-exists/474984/3 "2008-11-30T00:03:37Z")
You combat it by eliminating the source of the problem. You may not have heard of anal leakage, but it’s an extremely common side effect of any of dozens or hundreds of conditions, from foods to drugs to diseases to intestinal maladies. So there isn’t any one overall answer except to attack the originating condition. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-leakage-really-exists/474984/4 "2008-11-30T04:24:03Z")
[http://www.cspinet.org/new/flaynal.html](http://www.cspinet.org/new/flaynal.html) Olestra causes it. That is in baked Frito Lay chips according to this . ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-leakage-really-exists/474984/5 "2008-11-30T04:46:06Z")
I used to eat Olestra. Had a really unpleasant experience with it. Imagine really really really having to pee. Now imagine that, squared, only it’s like diarrhea. Bit starts about 1:30…around 2:10, “It’s one thing to be regular…but another to be UNSTOPPABLE!” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/P2aTxIWoF9Y/hqdefault.jpg "Dennis Wolfberg - One Night Stand (3 of 3)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2aTxIWoF9Y) Never again with Olestra. Re: Dennis Wolfberg, dead at 48, wow! ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-leakage-really-exists/474984/6 "2008-11-30T04:55:35Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [http://www.cspinet.org/new/flaynal.html](http://www.cspinet.org/new/flaynal.html) Olestra causes it. That is in baked Frito Lay chips according to this . You should check a source [a little more up to date than 1997](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay's). > [@](#): > > In the mid to late 1990s, Lay’s modified its barbecue chips formula and rebranded it as “K.C. Masterpiece,” named after a popular sauce, and introduced a lower calorie baked version and a variety that was completely fat-free (Lay’s WOW chips containing the fat substitute olestra). … > > The WOW! brand was rebranded in 2004 as Lay’s Light after the olestra formula was altered and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed removal of warnings about various health consequences of the fat substitute. Olestra was never in baked Lay’s, but in a regular variety fried in olestra instead of other fats. That version no longer exists. The current version has a different olestra formula and I know of no reports of anal leakage associated with it.