How Long Poop Stays in Your Body May Impact Your Health, Study Finds

• The amount of time stool stays inside your body strongly influences your gut bacteria, short-chain fatty acid production, inflammation levels, and metabolic health
• Researchers found that slower gut transit shifts bacteria away from carbohydrate fermentation and toward protein fermentation, increasing irritating compounds like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide inside the colon
• A simple blue stool test revealed that people with slower transit times had poorer blood sugar control after meals, higher visceral fat levels, and less favorable metabolic markers
• High-fat diets slow intestinal movement and create a gut environment linked to constipation, poorer energy production, and bacterial imbalance
• Your stool texture acts like a daily gut health report card, and improving movement, hydration, and easier-to-digest foods helps restore healthier bowel transit and a more balanced microbiome