Fecal Fat Test

The fecal test evaluates the quantity of fat in the stool and the percentage of dietary fat that is not absorbed by the blood stream.

How is fecal test done

1. You can cover the stool with a plastic wrap that is slackly placed over the toilet bowel and kept in place by the toilet seat. Then put the sample in a sterilized container. You can also take a test kit from the medical lab, which contains a special sterilized spoon to collect a stool sample and put it in a clean container.

2. In case of infants with diapers, line the diaper with plastic wrap. If this wrap is lined well, then there will not be any mixing of stool and urine, which in turn, can be an appropriate sample for analysis.

3. The stool in a special container is named, with date and time put before it is sent to the laboratory for analysis.

How to prepare for fecal fat test

Have a normal diet which includes about 100 grams of fat per day for three days before you go for the test. Also do not take drugs or food additives that an affect the results of the test.

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Fecal Fat Test Normal Results

Less than 7 grams of fat per 24 hours is a normal result for fecal fat test.

Fecal Fat Abnormal Results

Anything significantly abnormal means any of the following possibilities

• Biliary cancer

• Biliary stricture

• Celiac disease

• Cholelithiasis

• Chronic pancreatitis

• Crohn’s disease

• Cystic fibrosis

• Pancreatic cancer

• Pancreatitis

• Radiation enteritis

• Short bowel syndrome (e.g., from surgery or congenital anomaly)

• Sprue

• Whipple’s disease

Fecal Test is used for

This test is used to evaluate how the liver, the pancreas, the gallbladder and the intestines are working. Fat malabsorption can result in steatorrhea, This means excess fat in feces, this will give the fat an oily appearance, foul smell and the stool may float . Fat absoroption is done by the bile secreted from the gallbladder, pancreatic enzymes and intestines.