# TMI What is the nutritional value of poop?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmi-what-is-the-nutritional-value-of-poop/358682
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 30, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmi-what-is-the-nutritional-value-of-poop/358682 "2006-05-30T01:12:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Stentor\_2.5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stentor_2.5)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmi-what-is-the-nutritional-value-of-poop/358682/1 "2006-05-30T01:12:09Z")
Today in a conversation on another board someone made the remark that feces are all protein. I doubt he really knew what he was talking about. He was probably just trying to be cute. Still, assuming one could eat poop without getting extremely sick, is there any nutritional or caloric content to it?
---
### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmi-what-is-the-nutritional-value-of-poop/358682/2 "2006-05-30T01:44:10Z")
Depends on the poop.
Human feces is close to 50% bacteria by dry weight in many cases. What’s not bacteria is generally undigestible stuff. Some inadequately chewed intact food will come thru, generally shelled grains like corn, which would be carbohydrates.
We’ve done similar threads before, if you search for terms like coprophagia you may find something. 'Cuz I ain’t sifting thru _that_ shit again.
---
### Author:  [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmi-what-is-the-nutritional-value-of-poop/358682/3 "2006-05-30T02:55:51Z")
> [@Stentor 2.5](#):
>
> Today in a conversation on another board someone made the remark that feces are all protein. I doubt he really knew what he was talking about. He was probably just trying to be cute. Still, assuming one could eat poop without getting extremely sick, is there any nutritional or caloric content to it?
Although it is body waste I’ve been told that wolves in the far north consider it a delicacy.
To each his own!
---
### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmi-what-is-the-nutritional-value-of-poop/358682/4 "2006-05-30T05:19:30Z")
It’s definitely not all protein. There’s a fair amount of fat in it too, which makes DNA extraction difficult.
---
### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2006, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmi-what-is-the-nutritional-value-of-poop/358682/5 "2006-05-30T05:35:50Z")
> [@Stentor 2.5](#):
>
> Still, assuming one could eat poop without getting extremely sick, is there any nutritional or caloric content to it?
Well, as they say, 500 billion flies can’t be wrong. Many organisms make their living eating feces, human or otherwise. Most feces contain significant nutritional content.