What you should know about pale stool
Normal human stool is firm, well formed and brown in color due to remnants of our blood. The brown color of stool varies from light brown (peanut-butter-like) to dark brown (chocolate spread). Bile and bilirubin come from red blood cells and are responsible for the brown color. Dark stool indicates that it has remained in the body longer. In newborn babies, fecal matter is initially yellow-green. In adults and young children, stool can vary considerably in appearance and color. The color of stool can tell us a great deal about our health. An abnormal color can have various causes. A change in color may be caused by certain foods, medications or an underlying medical condition.
If it turns out that the cause of pale stool (white, beige) is a disease, treatment should be started, and you should always contact a doctor for this. White stool in particular may indicate a problem. If there has been a sudden change in diet, lighter-colored stool can also occur. People following a low-carbohydrate diet may experience light-colored bowel movements. This is because carbohydrates are often replaced by fats in such cases. Bile is needed to break down fat, and when more fat is suddenly consumed, the body may need time to adjust. Over time, the body adapts and will produce more bile.
Measuring poor fat digestionWith moderate to poor fat digestion, the fat content of the stool increases. The stool may be greasy and sticky and light in color. If you want to know whether you digest nuts poorly, you can first determine the fat content of the stool without nuts and then repeat the test with nuts. The reverse is of course also possible; if you already eat nuts, the fat content is measured first and the test is repeated while nuts and seeds are omitted.
To detect gallbladder and pancreatic problems, the fat content of the stool is also measured. It is important not to eat nuts and seeds for a week beforehand, because they contain a lot of fat that is not always properly digested. If this causes the fat content of the stool to rise, high fat values may make it appear that you have a disease when this is not actually the case. To test the function of the gallbladder and pancreas, saturated fats should in fact be consumed. If you remove fat from your diet, you will of course not see high fat excretion in the stool. A few days before the analysis, you can use butter and bacon fat and, for example, eat fried potatoes. With good digestion, this does not cause an increase in fat in the stool.
Symptoms associated with pale stool and digestive complaints
- White or beige stool (similar to putty)
- Diarrhoea
- A changing bowel pattern
- Weight loss
- Abdominal pain
- A bloated abdomen
- Sticky stool
Testing for pale stool
For light-colored stool, stool testing through Darmklachten.nl may help. See our recommended test packages and individual modules below.
Additional (blood) tests
For pale, sticky and fatty stool, in addition to stool testing, it is advisable to also have (blood) tests carried out for the following parameters:
- Upper abdominal scan
- Blood test
- Anaemia
- High bilirubin
- Liver abnormalities
- Vitamin D deficiency
Causes of pale stool
- Increased fat in the stool
- Lack of stomach acid
- Gluten
- Bile duct obstruction
- Pancreatic disorders
- Giardia lamblia
- Intestinal diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
- Bacterial inflammation
- Poor digestion of nuts
More information about the tests
- Digestive parameters pH, fat, starch, color and consistency of the stool – read more…
- Gut flora analysis – Testing part of the gut microbiota – read more…
- Microbiome – Testing the complete composition of the gut microbiota – read more…
- Antigliadin and anti-ht-Transglutaminase – Markers for gluten intolerance – read more…
- Calprotectin – Inflammation marker for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – read more…
- Bile acids – Digestion of fat – read more…
- Pancreatic elastase – Breakdown of fat, starch and proteins – read more…
- For diarrhoea: Bacterial infection with Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella, Yersinia and Clostridioides difficile – read more…
- Giardia lamblia – Small-intestinal parasite – read more…
About darmklachten.nl
Darmklachten.nl is an initiative of MGlab&Advies, a laboratory specializing in stool testing. …read more
