Fecal Fat, Total

Malabsorption occurs when your intestines are not absorbing food as they should, and aren’t assimilating nutrients. It could also happen if you don’t have enough digestive enzymes or not enough bile. Bile is especially important to emulsify or break down the fats during digestion.

Malabsorption causes any of the following symptoms:

- Gas

- Bloating

- Cramps after eating

- Bad-smelling, fatty stools

- Loose stools

- Weight loss without being on a diet

Some specific causes of high Fecal Fat might be: 

- Use of ointments for diaper rash

- The use of barium enemas or having used barium in other medical procedures

- Celiac disease

- Eating too much fiber in your diet

- Use of the medication called Orlistat

- Ingesting Castor oil

- Chronic pancreatitis

- Cystic fibrosis 

- Gall bladder stone obstruction

- Tumors in the pancreas, gallbladder, or surrounding organs

- Whipple disease

- Crohn’s disease

- Radiation enteritis  

- Small bowel bacterial overgrowth

- Malnutrition

To date, there is minimal literature on the clinical significance of reduced fecal fats. As they are largely of dietary origin, an overall low recovery of these absorptive markers is suggestive of a diet low in fat. Another consideration would be increased intestinal absorption, particularly if dietary fat intake is adequate.

Low levels of Fecal Fat may result from any of the following: 

- Enemas

- Laxatives

- Mineral oil

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If low-fat diet: Consider amount of dietary intake of fat.

When you eat fat, a small amount of the fat passes out the body through the colon. Some of the different types of fats in the feces include phospholipids, sterols, sphingolipids, cholesteryl esters, glycolipids, soaps and glycerides.  

A fecal fat test helps your doctor identify pancreatic or intestinal disorders. It can indicate your body isn’t creating enough enzymes or there is malabsorption.