What Stool Samples Reveal About Your Health
Everyone has it, but we don’t like to talk about it – bowel movements. But did you know that a stool sample can reveal a lot about your health? It’s important to monitor your stool regularly, because its consistency, shape, color, and even smell can indicate whether you should see a doctor. But that’s not where diagnostics end. Sending a stool sample to a laboratory can provide far more information than you might expect. Stool samples are used, for example, in colorectal cancer screening and can offer important insights into whether further medical examinations are necessary. In this article, we want to inform you about which diseases can be diagnosed through a stool sample.
Table of Contents
- Is my stool healthy?
- What diseases can be detected in a stool sample?
- What infections can be detected in a stool sample?
- What can’t be diagnosed through a stool sample?
Is my stool healthy?
First, it is important to define what healthy stool looks like. Generally, stool has a soft consistency and a brownish color. It consists of about 75% water and 25% solid matter, including undigested food, dead bacteria, and inorganic substances. On average, food takes about three days to pass through the digestive tract and be excreted. If your stool is black or even red, you should consult a doctor, as this could indicate gastrointestinal bleeding. Grey stool may suggest liver problems, while yellow, sour-smelling stool may be a sign that your intestines are not properly absorbing and digesting fat.
What diseases can be detected in a stool sample?
As mentioned earlier, stool can not only be assessed visually, but it is also possible (and advisable) to collect stool samples and send them to a laboratory. Stool samples can help diagnose a wide range of diseases, such as:
Inflammatory bowel disease
A stool sample can be used to measure calprotectin levels in the stool. Calprotectin is a protein found in white blood cells and is known for its strong antifungal and antibacterial properties. When inflammation occurs, calprotectin levels increase. The concentration directly correlates with the intensity of the inflammation. The more severe the inflammatory bowel disease, the higher the calprotectin levels.
Fat malabsorption
If your digestive system is unable to absorb or digest fats properly, this can be detected through a stool sample. However, keep in mind that a stool sample only shows whether there are unusually high amounts of fat in the stool, not the reason behind it. If this diagnosis is made, further testing is necessary.
Pancreatic insufficiency
A stool sample can also be used to check for pancreatic insufficiency. This test measures elastase in the stool. Elastase is an enzyme produced in an organ in your upper abdomen—the pancreas. If your pancreas is healthy, an adequate amount of elastase will be detected in your stool sample. If the level is too low, it may indicate pancreatic insufficiency.
Gastrointestinal bleeding
There are two types of stool tests used to screen for colorectal cancer: the fecal occult blood test (FOBT), which looks for hidden (occult) blood in the stool sample, and the stool DNA test, which detects abnormal DNA linked to polyps or cancer. Interested? Homed-IQ now offers a bowel cancer screening test that can be done easily at home and then sent to a laboratory for analysis.
Which infections can be detected in a stool sample?
Generally speaking, a stool sample can help diagnose three types of infections:
- Worms
- Parasites
- Bacteria
Worms in stool sample
Believe it or not, but worms are an infection that not only animals can pick up. It is possible to pick up worms in various ways, such as while travelling through a tropical country, or when working with children in a daycare centre. Symptoms of a worm infection may include:
- Diarrhoea
- Nausea or vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
Pathogenic bacteria in stool sample
Sending a stool sample to the laboratory can reveal a variety of bacteria, such as:
- Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (can be found in raw and undercooked beef)
- Shigella (can be found in contaminated water or contaminated food)
- Campylobacter (can be found in raw and undercooked poultry)
- Salmonella (can be found in raw poultry or raw eggs)
Parasites in stool sample
It is also possible to detect parasites and/or their eggs in stool samples. Common organisms found in a stool sample are Blastocystis or Giardia. There is no direct link between Blastocystis and any diseases, but it is noticeable that patients with Blastocystis often suffer from diarrhoea. Giardia also has no direct link to diseases, and most people also do not experience any symptoms. However, if patients do experience symptoms, they experience a wider variety of symptoms compared to Blastocystis. Symptoms of Giardia are, among others:
- Stomach pain
- Fatty stool
- Gas/flatulence
- Fatigue
What can’t be diagnosed through a stool sample?
So far, we have highlighted all the diseases and infections that an examination of a stool sample can detect, but this examination also has its limits. Stool samples do not offer a complete picture of your overall health. A stool sample cannot detect the following:
- Gluten intolerance
- Other food sensitivities
- SIBO
- Food allergies
- Candida overgrowth
- Dysbiosis
- Leaky gut
The examination of a stool sample is not considered a scientifically valid way to diagnose gluten sensitivity, lactose intolerance, or any other sort of food intolerance/sensitivity. Therefore, it is important to point out that examined stool samples cannot provide any kind of evidence-based recommendations about which kind of diet you should follow.
