Poop is not a pleasant subject to talk about. I know, I get that. However, the poop smell can give you a sense of what is happening inside your body including extremely high blood sugar levels, bacterial infections, and even pancreatic cancer. Which makes this topic extremely important and relevant.
Have you ever felt an unusual and odd smell coming from your poop? That may be an indicator of some serious underlying conditions such as diabetes. In this article, we are decoding poop odor changes for people with diabetes. We will also explore how to handle the diabetic poop smell and cover what patients should know about diabetic poop odors. Keep on reading to find out what does diabetic poop smell like.
Diabetes and Stool Odor: Understanding the Connection
The breath and pee of a diabetic patient can sometimes have a pleasant fruity smell. Which raises the question – what does diabetic poop smell like? The feces of a chronic diabetic patient may sometimes have a fruity smell, similar to some of the nail polishes.
So, why diabetic poop may smell different? The difference in smell happens due to the inability of your body to metabolize the excess sugar. The unabsorbed and disposed sugar content passes through your bowel and finally excretes along with feces, making your poop smell pleasant and sweet. But sweet-smelling poop does not always mean diabetes, other conditions such as bacterial infections may also influence the odor of the feces.
Sweet and Fruity Odors in Diabetic Poop – What’s Going On?
So what is happening in your body, what exactly is the link between diabetes and unique poop smells? To understand sweet and fruity odors in diabetic poop – what’s going on? You should first understand what makes the blood sugar levels high in type 2 diabetic patients.
Behind Diabetes’ Effect on Bowel Movements and Stool Smell
In patients with type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t produce enough insulin – which is essential for the absorption of blood glucose into cells. Additionally, the cells respond poorly to the available insulin (insulin resistance). Which increases the level of sugar in the blood. Which may get excreted through bowel movements.
Strange Poop Smells in Diabetics – The Role of Ketones
Lower insulin levels and insulin resistance prompts your body to break down fat into energy instead of glucose. This process is known as ketosis. During ketosis, your body will produce ketones which have a sweet fruity smell which will be then excreted through urine and the bowel. In normal conditions, ketone presence in your feces and urine is unnoticeable but may lead to sweet and fruity-smelling poop in chronic diabetic patients.
What Patients Should Know About Diabetic Poop Odor?
We have already explored what does diabetic poop smell like. The diabetic poop may smell sweet in extreme conditions, but you should not solely rely on the odor of your feces itself. Most of the time, you would have a “normal” smelling poop even if your blood sugar is high. If you suspect diabetes, or if other members of your family have the conditions, look for other diabetes symptoms such as:
- Feeling thirsty all the time
- Unusually high frequency of urination
- Unexplained weight loss
- Increased appetite
- Blurry vision
- Sluggishness
- Dry skin
- More susceptible to infections
- Slow healing process
If you are experiencing the above symptoms along with sweet-smelling feces, that is when poop smells are a sign of uncontrolled diabetes.
Foul, Unpleasant Diabetic Poop Odors Explained
While diabetic poop can sometimes have a sweet, fruity odor due to excess ketones., it can also produce unusually unpleasant and foul smells in some cases. The causes may include:
- Bacterial Growth: Diabetics may cause gastric motility issues, which can promote bacterial growth. The overgrowth of bacteria can cause digestive issues and may make change the smell of the feces.
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Diabetics also have higher rates of inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These conditions can cause gastrointestinal inflammations leading to foul-smelling diarrhea and excessive flatulence.
- Pancreatic Cancer: The pancreatic enzyme, produced by the pancreas plays a huge role in digestion. The lack of pancreatic enzyme may affect the digestive process and in rare conditions, lead to foul-smelling stools.
How to Handle Fruity, Sweet Diabetic Poop Smells?
For mild cases of fruity poop orders, getting blood sugar levels under the recommended limit is key. If you experience persistent odd odors from your feces, it’s important to consult a doctor. Depending on your condition, he may recommend:
- Insulin therapy
- Antibiotics for bacterial overgrowth
- Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy
- Dietary modifications
Early detection of the underlying reason behind the change in poop smell can help in curing the condition. Don’t be embarrassed to openly talk about the difficulty you are experiencing.
Summary
So, what does diabetic poop smell like? The feces of diabetic patients may sometimes smell sweet, or foul depending on the other conditions they might have. But sweet-smelling stool doesn’t always mean diabetes. Other conditions like bacterial infections and food allergies may also alter the odor of the feces.
The sweet-smelling poop in diabetic patients may happen due to the higher levels of ketones in their body. Ketones are released when the body uses fat instead of glucose to generate energy. Ketones may also cause a sweet-smelling breath and pee. In addition to odd-smelling poop, other symptoms of diabetes include more frequent urination, sluggishness, unexplained weight loss, etc.
If you are experiencing an unusually sweet or foul smell from your poop, you should consider consulting a doctor to determine the exact underlying condition. The treatment methods can vary according to the cause and severity of your condition.
Are you a diabetic patient? Have you ever experienced sweet-smelling poop?
