# Floating Poop

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-poop/456289>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 13, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-poop/456289 "2008-07-13T01:41:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![oramac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@oramac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oramac)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-poop/456289/1 "2008-07-13T01:41:05Z")

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Don’t mean to be gross… but is it true that poop floats when there is too much fat in your diet? If not…why is it that sometimes there are those floaties?

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**Author:** ![B\_A\_Bay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@B\_A\_Bay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B_A_Bay)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-poop/456289/2 "2008-07-13T01:56:42Z")

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No, the key is Fiber, your bowel movement SHOULD float if you are getting the correct amount of fiber in your diet. If it doesn’t float you need to increase your fiber intake till it does.

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**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-poop/456289/3 "2008-07-13T03:39:44Z")

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[QUOTE=B\_A\_Bay]  
No, the key is Fiber, your bowel movement SHOULD float if you are getting the correct amount of fiber in your diet. If it doesn’t float you need to increase your fiber intake till it does.  
[/QUOTE]

Cite?

MedlinePlus says [this](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003128.htm) about floating stools.

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**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:** [July 13, 2008, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-poop/456289/4 "2008-07-13T03:47:18Z")

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Yes, it’s just the opposite. Stool should be dense enough to sink, solid enough to stick together, and cohesive enough to evacuate all at once.

The info in the link given is correct. Lack of density causes stool to float. It’s not a good thing.

Additional fiber can be one possible remedy, but diarrhea has hundreds of sources and fiber is not necessarily the answer.

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**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-poop/456289/5 "2008-07-13T04:42:48Z")

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Ignorance fought. I thought turds were meant to float! Sheeee-it!