What Does Diabetic Poop Smell Like? Causes & Treatment of Foul Odor

Understanding Diabetic Poop Odor

If you have diabetes, you may notice your poop smells particularly foul and strange. This is actually a common concern among people with diabetes. The composition and smell of your stool can provide insight into your health.

When you have uncontrolled or poorly managed diabetes, your body isn't properly processing sugars. This leads to higher levels of sugar in your blood and urine. Having too much sugar in your urine acts as a food source for the bacteria in your gut, changing the makeup of your microbiome.

How Diabetes Affects Your Gut

Diabetes directly impacts the balance of bacteria living in your gastrointestinal tract. Good bacteria helps digest food, absorb nutrients, and fight infection. An overgrowth of bad bacteria from too much sugar can cause an imbalance, leading to gastrointestinal symptoms.

When your gut microbiome is out of balance, it affects how food is digested. Undigested food in your colon causes changes in stool odor. This poor digestion also leads to gas, bloating, and diarrhea - which make smelly poop worse.

Causes of Foul-Smelling Poop in Diabetics

A few key factors cause stinky poop in people with diabetes:

• Blood sugar fluctuations
• Gastroparesis
• Nerve damage
• Yeast overgrowth
• Bacterial imbalance
• Food fermentation

Rapid changes in blood sugar levels impact digestion and allow undigested food to sit in the colon. This causes poop smell. Gastroparesis also slows down digestion, leading to smelly stool.

Nerve damage in the digestive tract may decrease muscle movement, affecting the emptying of the bowels. When poop sits in the colon, it can begin to smell foul.

Having high blood sugar allows yeast like candida to proliferate. This overgrowth of yeast also impacts poop smell.

As mentioned earlier, having excess sugar in the stool feeds bad gut bacteria. This imbalance leads to smelly poop.

Finally, when food isn’t properly digested, it ferments in the colon. This fermentation releases smelly gases.

Common Diabetic Poop Odors

Stool that smells extremely sweet or fruity can be a sign of diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes. Left untreated, DKA can lead to a diabetic coma or death.

Fruity-smelling poop is caused by ketone buildup as the body breaks down fat for energy. High ketone levels cause ketoacidosis. If your poop smells sweet, contact your doctor immediately.

Beyond sweet-smelling stool, some other common poop odors associated with diabetes include:

• Rotten egg smell - from hydrogen sulfide gas produced by gut bacteria
• Fishy smell - associated with bacterial overgrowth
• Foul garbage smell - from undigested food waste in colon
• Metallic smell - linked to gastrointestinal bleeding
• Ammonia smell - signs of a urinary tract infection

Why Does My Diabetic Poop Smell So Bad?

While there can be other causes, most strange and extremely smelly poop results from undigested food sitting in the colon. Bacteria feeds on this food waste releasing foul gases.

Factors that can lead to undigested food in the colon include:

• Nerve damage slowing digestion
• Gastroparesis preventing proper digestion
• Imbalance of gut bacteria
• Yeast overgrowth
• Dehydration
• Medications slowing digestion

Proper food digestion involves enzymes breaking down food, muscles contracting to move food, and absorption of nutrients. Diabetes complications disrupt these normal processes resulting in undigested food.

Treating Smelly Diabetic Poop

Getting blood sugar under control is key to reducing foul-smelling poop. Work closely with your doctor to properly manage diabetes through:

• Following prescribed treatment plan
• Taking medications as directed
• Checking blood sugar regularly
• Eating a diabetic-friendly diet
• Exercising regularly

Beyond blood sugar control, other ways to treat smelly poop include:

Medications & Supplements

Medications that slow digestion like antidepressants, opioids, and blood pressure drugs can lead to smelly poop. Talk to your doctor about alternative options or lowering doses.

Probiotics containing healthy gut bacteria can improve bacterial balance for less smelly poop. Fiber supplements add bulk to stool and speed up colon emptying.

Dietary Changes

Avoiding hard-to-digest foods like red meat, dairy, and fatty, greasy foods can help. Increasing plant fiber from vegetables, fruits, and whole grains improves digestion.

Stay hydrated by drinking water throughout the day. Dehydration worsens constipation and allows stinky poop to linger.

Improve Gut Motility

Daily exercise helps improve intestinal muscle contraction to move stool. Positions like squatting open up the colon allowing more complete emptying.

Taking occasional stool softeners makes poop easier to pass so it doesn’t sit in the colon. Laxatives can be used for short-term relief of constipation.

Treat Yeast Overgrowth

Antifungal medications are used to control candida overgrowth. Common antifungals including fluconazole and nystatin help restore normal yeast levels in the gut.

See Your Doctor

If lifestyle changes don’t improve foul poop smell, see your doctor. They can check for nerve damage, gastrointestinal issues, or infections contributing to the problem.

Your doctor may order tests or refer you to a gastroenterologist. Further treatment may include prescription medications or medical procedures.

When to Seek Emergency Care

While smelly poop is usually just a nuisance, certain odors can indicate an emergency. Seek immediate medical care if you have:

• Very sweet or fruity-smelling poop
• Poop smelling like chemicals or ammonia
• Bloody stool with a rotten or metallic odor

Extremely foul poop smell along with vomiting, fever, or rectal pain can also be an emergency. Call 911 or go to the ER if you have any of these signs along with foul poop odor.

Outlook for Smelly Diabetic Poop

While dealing with unpleasant poop odors may be embarrassing, know that it's a common problem associated with diabetes. The smell should improve as you get blood sugar under control and take steps to improve gut health.

Pay attention to any changes in poop smell as it can indicate issues like yeast overgrowth, GI problems, and diabetic complications. Work closely with your healthcare provider to find relief from foul-smelling stools.

With proper diabetes management and healthy gut habits, you can get rid of smelly poop for good. Don't hesitate to seek medical attention if severe poop odors persist.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.