Normal bowel movement color can be any shade of brown, or some other colors, but not white.
The bowel movement has its color due to the bile which is originally green, but changes into the brown during the passage through the bowel.
Causes of White Bowel Movement
When less than normal or no bile is excreted from the liver into the bowel (cholestasis), excreted stool will be pale, clay, gray, or white. Someone can describe it as a light color, but this is not bright yellow bowel movement, and also not mucus in the bowel movement that is jelly-like and translucent. Main causes of white bowel movement are:
- Obstruction of the biliary duct (due to gallstones, inflammation, fibrosis, cancer, pressure from outside (pancreatic cancer or cyst, abdominal tumor like fibroma) may cause cramping pains in the right upper abdomen.
- Obstruction of the outflow of the bile from the liver due to a liver disease (viral hepatitis, fatty liver, alcohol liver disease, cirrhosis, hemochromatosis or, rarely, tuberculosis, spread of cancer into the liver (liver metastases) may cause fullness or pain in the upper right abdomen, jaundice, nausea, or vomiting.
White Diarrhea
Above reasons (obstruction of the bile flow), or lack of pancreatic enzyme lipase that digests fats prevents fat absorption in the small intestine. Unabsorbed fats will reach the colon and irritate it, causing diarrhea. Loose, white, sticky, greasy, foamy, floating, smelly stool appearing several hours after a fatty meal is called steatorrhea. Main causes of white diarrhea are:
- Acute or chronic pancreatitis (low appetite, pain in the middle or left upper abdomen, nausea)
- Pancreatic cancer (low appetite, weight loss)
- Liver or biliary duct disease
- Severe inflammation of small intestine (Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, tuberculosis, severe food poisoning)
- Candida overgrowth in the large intestine (in persons with lowered immunity, like in AIDS or after a chemotherapy)
Other Causes of White Stool
White stool may appear after:
- Barium enema
- Antacids
White Specs in the Stool
White specs in the stool may represent:
- Undigested food, like rice or seeds
- Unabsorbed drugs
- Parasite eggs
- Clumps of fungi (Candida albicans) in heavy disease like AIDS, or in immunosuppression from chemotherapy or radiation therapy…
Diagnosis
Stool fat test may reveal fats in the stool.
Blood tests:
- White blood cells are elevated in pancreatitis, bowel inflammation
- Pancreatic enzymes (lipase) in the blood may be elevated in pancreatic disease
- Liver enzymes in the blood may be elevated in liver, biliary duct disease
Ultrasound of the abdomen may reveal gallstones in gallbladder, or rarely in biliary duct, swollen pancreas (in pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer or cyst), or abdominal tumor.
Treatment
Original disease has to be treated.
In white diarrhea a low-fat diet has to be introduced.
Related Articles:
- Loose Bowel Movements – Diagnosis from Medical Symptoms
- Normal and Excessive Bowel Movements – Comparison
- Blood in Your Stool
- Bowel Anatomy, Intestinal Flora
Article reviewed by Dr. Greg. Last updated on February 18, 2010
