Elevated levels of Cholesterol in the stool may indicate inadequate absorption.
Having too much fat in your stool is called steatorrhea. If you have too much fat in your stool, it may be a sign that food is moving through your digestive system without being broken down and absorbed properly. This is called malabsorption.
You can develop malabsorption if:
- Your intestines don't absorb food
- Your pancreas doesn't make enough digestive enzymes
- Your liver isn't making enough bile. Your body needs bile to break down fats for digestion.
Symptoms of malabsorption include:
- Frequent greasy, loose stools in large amounts
- Indigestion
- Gas
- Cramps
- Foul-smelling, fatty stools
- Unintentional weight loss
High levels suggest malabsorption. Other markers of digestion and absorption are likely to confirm this and point to possible reasons such as pancreatic insufficiency.
Elevated results may be related to the following:
- Cystic fibrosis
- Crohn disease
- Celiac disease (sprue)
- Malnutrition
- Enteritis
- Whipple disease
- Diseases of the pancreas
- Pancreatic surgery
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Acetate, Beta defensin 2, Butyrate, Calprotectin, Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), Cholic acid (CA), Deoxycholic acid (DCA), Fecal Eosinophil Protein X, Fecal lactoferrin, LCA/DCA ratio, Lithocholic acid (LCA), Long chain fatty acids, Lysozyme, Meat Fiber, MMP 9, Pancreatic elastase 1, Propionate, S100A12, Total Cholestrol subfraction, Total Fecal Fat, Total Fecal Triglycerides, Total Phospholipid subfraction, Vegetable fiber
