# What's the least amount of time possible from mouth to poop? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 27, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495 "2010-10-27T07:53:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/1 "2010-10-27T07:53:56Z")
What’s the least amount of time possible from mouth to poop? ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/2 "2010-10-27T08:51:14Z")
Based on my experience eating at Denny’s, about twenty minutes. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/3 "2010-10-27T09:03:08Z")
Well, I can’t say for sure that it’s the _least_ time, but the [early dumping syndrome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric_dumping_syndrome) produces symptoms, including diarrhea, within 15 to 30 minutes or so of eating. It is also possible for a fistula (i.e. abnormal connection) to form\* between the stomach and the large intestine (i.e. the colon). Although the most common symptoms of such a development is feculent vomiting (i.e. vomiting what looks to be feces :eek:), for obvious anatomic reasons another symptom is the appearance of recently ingested food in the bowel movements. \*due to cancer, Crohn’s disease, or stomach ulcer _per se_ ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/4 "2010-10-27T09:34:45Z")
One of my exes had Crohn’s. She ate an apple once and pooped undigested apple 45 minutes later. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@Simple\_Mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Mind)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/5 "2010-10-27T10:40:30Z")
What if I have eaten Mueslie (Div.Cereals) with Nuts for Breakfast, it is normaly Digested and on it’s way out the Anus, this takes normaly about 12 to24 Hours, now I eat at Denny’s and 20 min later I shit diarrhea, what would come out first, the Breakfast or Lunch at Denny’s? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/6 "2010-10-27T11:39:56Z")
I had drink a gallon of polyethylene glycol once. The first dose made its way through in about 15 minutes. And the fact that it was drunk rather than eaten in no way indicates its exit path. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/7 "2010-10-27T11:43:03Z")
> [@Simple\_Mind](#): > > What if I have eaten Mueslie (Div.Cereals) with Nuts for Breakfast, it is normaly Digested and on it’s way out the Anus, this takes normaly about 12 to24 Hours, now I eat at Denny’s and 20 min later I shit diarrhea, what would come out first, the Breakfast or Lunch at Denny’s? What would come out first is what entered first, unless you happen to have some strange shortcut connections like the ones mentioned by **KarlGauss**. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/8 "2010-10-27T14:14:15Z")
From the colonoscopy standpoint, Golytely passes through in around 3-4 minutes - every 10 minutes - for about 3 hours of “sitting on the can” time. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/9 "2010-10-27T14:55:10Z")
As always in these threads I get to introduce the little known term [gastrocolic reflex](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastrocolic_reflex). > [@](#): > > The gastrocolic reflex or gastrocolic response is one of a number of physiological reflexes controlling the motility, or peristalsis, of the gastrointestinal tract. It involves an increase in motility of the colon in response to stretch in the stomach and byproducts of digestion in the small intestine. Thus, this reflex is responsible for the urge to defecate following a meal. The small intestine also shows a similar motility response. The gastrocolic reflex helps make room for more food.[1] > > The reflex was demonstrated by myoelectric recordings in the colons of animals and humans, which showed an increase in electrical activity within as little as 15 minutes after eating. The recordings also demonstrated that the gastrocolic reflex is uneven in its distribution throughout the colon. The sigmoid colon is more greatly affected than the right side of the colon in terms of a phasic response; however, the tonic response across the colon is uncertain. When pressure within the rectum becomes increased, the gastrocolic reflex acts as a stimulus for defecation. A number of neuropeptides have been proposed as mediators of the gastrocolic reflex. These include serotonin, neurotensin, cholecystokinin (CCK), and gastrin. Except in a few truly pathological cases (see rapid intestinal transit), all the usual culprits that are mentioned in these threads - Denny’s, Indian or Mexican food, laxatives, etc. - are sitting in your stomach sending out signals to your rectum. It is food eaten and digested many hours earlier that is defecated. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/10 "2010-10-27T16:30:30Z")
TMI/Anecdote warning. I had a particularly nasty stomach bug after a trip abroad. Extreme, explosive diarrhea. The doctor gave me about a dozen little pills, about the size of a BB, to combat the condition. One of the cautions was to not drink milk while taking them. By the time I got to the last pill, I was absolutely craving milk. I chugged a good pint or so, and I swear it wasn’t up to body temp when it went out the other end. No more than a couple of minutes would be my guess, and there was absolutely no other matter in the pipe before it. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/11 "2010-10-27T16:42:32Z")
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone in this thread. I’ve wanted to ask this question a million times but never could quite bring myself to do it. All hail SDMB poop threads!!! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/12 "2010-10-27T17:12:49Z")
If I eat anything with sorbitol or manitol in it, it’s 20 minutes tops. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/13 "2010-10-28T01:20:38Z")
My Dad would always talk about a hazing ritual for gold miners back in the day. The ritual was to drink a shot of mercury (Hg) after the first day on the job. I can’t back it up but it was said that the mercury would pass through you in seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/14 "2010-10-28T03:15:17Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Except in a few truly pathological cases (see rapid intestinal transit), all the usual culprits that are mentioned in these threads - Denny’s, Indian or Mexican food, laxatives, etc. - are sitting in your stomach sending out signals to your rectum. It is food eaten and digested many hours earlier that is defecated. We did something similar recently (can’t find thread) and a fair number of Dopers said in as little as 20-30 minutes. A few Dopers (in the interest of Doper science) ran their own experiments with empty stomachs (24 hours or more on no food intake), only to eat their identified food and have it exit within 30 minutes. I think one Doper went so far to eat something that hadn’t eaten in weeks in their empty stomach experiment (broccoli?) and have it exit 30 minutes later relatively intact. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/15 "2010-10-29T19:48:34Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > TMI/Anecdote warning. > > I had a particularly nasty stomach bug after a trip abroad. Extreme, explosive diarrhea. > > The doctor gave me about a dozen little pills, about the size of a BB, to combat the condition. One of the cautions was to not drink milk while taking them. By the time I got to the last pill, I was absolutely craving milk. I chugged a good pint or so, and I swear it wasn’t up to body temp when it went out the other end. No more than a couple of minutes would be my guess, and there was absolutely no other matter in the pipe before it. So if a doctor told you not to drink, say, a root beer float, you’d just HAVE to? Thank god he hasn’t gone through a list of household poisons with you… ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/16 "2010-10-29T19:50:51Z")
> [@digs](#): > > So if a doctor told you not to drink, say, a root beer float, you’d just HAVE to?.. Hey, _ **Duke** _! Your doc called – said under NO conditions should you drive three hours to find a soft drink called _Vernor’s_ and then heat it up and add marshmallow fluff and “Mad Dog 357 Hot Sauce” (which you may have to order online). Let us know what it tastes like. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/17 "2010-10-29T20:06:32Z")
Home yesterday with an intestinal virus and diarhea. Ate a meal that included corn. About two hours later, out came the corn. Hadn’t had corn for at least a week or more before that. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/18 "2010-10-29T20:18:45Z")
In my work we’ll routinely give patient’s oral contrast and take x-rays of their abdomen as the contrast chugs it’s way along. Often by 45 minutes it is in the colon, and not infrequently all the way through the colon within an hour. I haven’t started looking for record times yet, but I will let you know. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/19 "2010-10-29T22:57:00Z")
A follow up question: When experiencing normal pooping, aren’t I usually pooping food I ate about 24 hours before? I mean, if I eat a normal dinner at 5 PM and poop at 10 PM, aren’t I pooping waste from the night before(or breakfast that day)? Uh, the corn I see a day after eating it seems to be my main indicator of this. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495/20 "2010-10-30T00:22:57Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Hey, _ **Duke** _! Your doc called – said under NO conditions should you drive three hours to find a soft drink called _Vernor’s_ and then heat it up and add marshmallow fluff and “Mad Dog 357 Hot Sauce” (which you may have to order online). > > Let us know what it tastes like. He didn’t say anything that should lead you to believe that he craved it because his doctor said to not drink it. Your last two posts are bizarre. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-amount-of-time-possible-from-mouth-to-poop/558495.md?page=2)