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The pH of human faeces is variable but the average is pH 6.6 for normal faeces. [1] [2] A lower faecal pH (very acidic stool) can indicate a digestive problem such poor absorption of carbohydrates or fats, [3] lactose intolerance, [4] an infection such as E. coli or rotavirus, or overgrowth of acid-producing bacteria (such as lactic acid bacteria).
Stool osmotic gap is a measurement of the difference in solute types between serum and feces, used to distinguish among different causes of diarrhea. Feces is normally in osmotic equilibrium with blood serum, which the human body maintains between 290–300 mOsm/kg. [1] However, the solutes contributing to this total differ.
On average, healthy humans eliminate 128 g of fresh feces per person per day with a pH value of around 6.6 as indicated by a Fecal pH test. [23] Fresh feces contains around 75% water and the remaining solid fraction is 84–93% organic solids along with some insoluble phosphate salts.
A fecal pH test may be used to determine lactose intolerance or the presence of an infection. [13] Steatorrhea can be diagnosed using a fecal fat test, which checks for the malabsorption of fat. [14] Faecal elastase levels are becoming the mainstay of pancreatitis diagnosis.
The bacteria in the colon, mixed with the lactose, cause acidity in stools. Stools passed after the ingestion of the lactose are tested for level of acidity. If the stools are acidic, the infant is intolerant to lactose. [42] Stool pH in lactose intolerance is less than 5.5.
Sucrose intolerance or genetic sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (GSID) is the condition in which sucrase-isomaltase, an enzyme needed for proper metabolism of sucrose (sugar) and starch (e.g., grains), is not produced or the enzyme produced is either partially functional or non-functional in the small intestine.
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The stool guaiac test method may be preferable to fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) if there is a clinical concern about possible gastric or proximal upper intestinal bleeding. [37] However, although heme breakdown is less than globin during intestinal transit, false negative results can be seen with the stool guaiac tests due to degradation ...