What is a White Bowel Movement?
Stools that lack color, have are white in color or have white pieces (or mucus) present.
What Causes a White Bowel Movement?
Commonly white stools are caused by not enough exposure to bile salts.
Bile is greenish yellow and when it reacts with enzymes in the bowel it turns stools brown. It plays a vital role in the digestion of fats – it is formed in the liver, where it is principally composed of lecithin, cholesterol, pigments and salts. Most of the salts are reabsorbed back into the body.
One reason could be lack of bile; either because the body is not making enough or because the bile ducts are blocked. Blocked bile ducts can be caused by gallstones, cysts or tumors.
A second reason that bile is not being absorbed could be that the stool is moving too quickly through the body – possibly due to diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome or short bowel syndrome.
White bowel movements can also be caused by antacids, hepatitis or barium from an enema.
How to Cure a White Bowel Movement
If your white stool cannot be attributed to an enema or antacids, or you have any other symptoms, then the best thing would be to consult a physician.