Why Is My Poop White? Causes & When It’s Serious

Key takeaways:

• Most causes of white poop are related to biliary obstruction, which can occur as a result of many different conditions.
• Giving your healthcare provider a full medication list can help them differentiate between benign and more serious causes of white poop.
• White poop is a symptom that should always prompt an evaluation by a healthcare provider.

Poop can take on a range of different colors, particularly depending on what you eat. However, it is probably uncommon for everyone to experience white stool. This symptom can be unsettling and may raise concerns about your health.

White poop can sometimes be associated with a benign cause, but it can also indicate a more serious underlying issue, particularly related to liver or biliary function.

In this article, we will explore the various causes of white stool and when it is important to seek medical care. Understanding these factors can help you determine the next steps if you are ever to experience white poop.

Is white poop normal?

While occasional changes in stool color can occur, white poop is generally not considered normal.

Normal stool color ranges from light brown to dark brown, a coloration it gets mainly from bile, which is produced in the liver. If you experience white stool, this could be a sign of an underlying condition impacting bile production or flow.

Causes of white poop

Sometimes, white poop can be a benign side effect of medication. However, several serious conditions can also lead to white stool and require prompt evaluation by a healthcare provider.

Biliary obstruction

Stool gets its normal brown color from bile, which is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder.

Biliary obstruction occurs when the bile ducts are blocked, preventing bile from reaching the intestines. Gallstones, tumors, or inflammation are a few issues that may cause obstruction of the bile ducts. A lack of bile in the digestive tract can lead to pale or white stool.

Liver disease

Liver diseases such as viral hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis, liver cancer, or cirrhosis can impair bile production.

When the liver is not functioning properly, it may not produce enough bile, resulting in lighter-colored stools. Some of these conditions, particularly liver cancer and tumors, can also play a role in biliary obstruction.

Medications

There are a few medications that can cause your stool to temporarily have a white color until your body metabolizes the medicine.

Barium, which can be used for imaging studies of the gastrointestinal tract, is white in color and can cause white stools. Medications containing aluminum hydroxide (such as antacids) can also cause white or pale-colored stools.

Infection

Biliary tract infections can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These infections consist of cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) and cholangitis (inflammation of the bile ducts).

These infections and inflammation can potentially obstruct bile flow from the liver to the intestines and impact the color of the stool.

What white poop may mean based on appearance, consistency, or another symptom or condition

White poop can indicate different health conditions and causes that need to be properly identified to receive the correct treatment. Additional details about appearance, consistency, or other symptoms can help your healthcare provider narrow in on a possible diagnosis.

• White flecks, specks, or chunks in poop: The presence of white flecks may indicate undigested food. It can also be due to undigested fat, which can occur with certain digestive disorders and malabsorption disorders.
• Hard white poop: Hard, white stool may suggest dehydration in addition to insufficient bile reaching the intestines.
• Loose white poop: Loose white poop can be a result of malabsorption, viruses that cause diarrhea and also affect the liver, or due to the use of barium.
• White foam in poop: Foamy white poop can indicate excess fat in the stool, referred to as steatorrhea. This is usually associated with malabsorption disorders.
• Poop with white mucus or discharge: White mucus in stool can suggest inflammation in the intestines. This can be a result of infection or chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.
• White poop with mucus: Regardless of the color of the mucus, this should always be evaluated by a healthcare provider to rule out inflammatory bowel disease.
• White poop with stomach pain: If white stool is accompanied by abdominal pain, this could indicate gallstones, tumor development, or liver conditions. In less serious cases, abdominal pain with white stool may simply be due to infection.
• White poop while pregnant: Pregnant women are at an increased risk of developing something known as intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. This is when the flow of bile from the liver to the intestines is either slowed or blocked, leading to white stool. Pregnant women who experience white poop should always speak with their healthcare provider.

Read our guides on different types of stool and stool colors for more.

When to see a doctor about white poop

If you experience white poop, this is almost always a reason to see a healthcare provider. Knowing when to see your primary care provider vs when to be seen in the ER can help you better navigate this unusual symptom.

You should see a doctor if:

• White stool persists for more than a couple of days.
• You experience accompanying symptoms like mild abdominal pain.
• You experience a change in appetite or unexplained weight loss.

You should go to the emergency room if:

• You have severe abdominal pain.
• You develop jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes).
• You are pregnant and experience white poop.

Questions to ask your doctor about white poop

• What could be the cause of my white poop?
• Should I make any dietary changes to help with these symptoms?
• What tests will be performed to diagnose the cause of my symptoms?
• What treatment options are available for my symptoms?

How to stop or treat white poop

In order to treat or stop white poop, it is vital to first identify the underlying cause. Treatment will then be tailored to address the root cause of the issue.

Medication changes

If your symptoms are caused by medications such as antacids, your healthcare provider may simply reassure you that this is a normal side effect. If this side effect is troubling despite reassurance, they may suggest you switch medications.

Some medications can cause chronic liver disease. These medications include the antibiotic nitrofurantoin and the cardiac medication amiodarone, to name a few. If you are taking these medications and are experiencing liver abnormalities, your healthcare provider will likely change your prescription.

Surgery

If an underlying condition like liver disease, biliary obstruction, tumors, or gallstones is diagnosed, treatment will be tailored accordingly. In many of these cases, surgical interventions may be necessary.

How to prevent white poop

Some causes of white poop may be preventable, while other causes cannot be controlled. Below are a few suggestions on how to stay ahead of this symptom.

Avoid triggers

If you have identified that a medication such as an antacid is causing your symptoms, you may choose to avoid these medications moving forward.

Lifestyle changes

Certain lifestyle choices like heavy alcohol consumption can lead to liver disease and, ultimately, biliary obstruction.

Cutting back on alcohol and getting help for alcohol use disorder when needed is important. Avoiding high-fat foods that may trigger inflammation of the gallbladder due to gallstones can also help prevent this symptom.

Routine health checks

Making sure you are seeing your primary care provider for yearly check-ups is extremely important in both preventing and treating disease.

Making sure you are up to date with all of your age-appropriate screening tests and getting routine lab work will not necessarily prevent the development of liver disease or tumors, but it can help you catch underlying conditions earlier and in more treatable stages.

Frequently asked questions: white poop

You likely still have some questions regarding white poop. Here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about this rarely-seen symptom.

What viruses cause white or pale poop?

Certain viral infections, such as hepatitis, can impact liver function. Since bile is produced in the liver, any virus impacting that liver’s ability to function can lead to pale or white stools.

Is it normal to have white poop after a colonoscopy?

It’s not uncommon to experience changes in stool color following a colonoscopy, due to the required cleansing process.

However, since white stool almost always indicates an issue with biliary flow, if you experience this symptom after a colonoscopy, you should consult your healthcare provider.

Is it normal to have white poop after having diarrhea?

Certain viruses, such as rotavirus, are known for causing symptoms like diarrhea and can also hinder the digestion of fat. The presence of undigested fat in the stool can lead to a pale appearance of the stool.

Light poop should not be taken lightly

White stool can be a concerning symptom that often indicates underlying health issues related to liver function and bile production. While occasional changes in stool color can be benign, persistent white poop should always warrant a consult with your healthcare provider. Bottom line: light, white poop should not be taken lightly!

General Medicine follows a strict editorial process, including using real experts to write our articles, vetted primary sources, fact-checking, a secondary medical review, and updates as necessary. This article was medically reviewed and fact checked by Dr. Lane Thaut, DO.

Sources

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Gupta, Ekta, and Anita Chakravarti. “Viral infections of the biliary tract.” Saudi journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Saudi Gastroenterology Association vol. 14,3 (2008): 158-60. doi:10.4103/1319-3767.41740, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19568530/.

Pillarisetty, Leela Sharath. and Ashish Sharma. “Pregnancy Intrahepatic Cholestasis.” StatPearls, StatPearls Publishing, 4 June 2023, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31855347/.

Sharma, Ashish. and Shivaraj Nagalli. “Chronic Liver Disease.” StatPearls, StatPearls Publishing, 3 July 2023, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32119484/.

Thomas, M E et al. “Virus diarrhoea associated with pale fatty faeces.” The Journal of hygiene vol. 87,2 (1981): 313-9. doi:10.1017/s0022172400069539, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6270209/.