Is Floating Stool A Symptom of Celiac Disease?

Most of us don’t inspect the toilet bowl too closely after a trip to the bathroom. But if your bowel movements suddenly start floating — or they’ve been bobbing on the surface for years — it’s natural to wonder if something might be wrong. One reader told us he’d worried about pancreatic cancer after noticing floating stool. You can read about the connection at this link. But then he realized he would have been long gone if that had been the case since his stools had been bobbing instead of sinking for decades.

This reader did some online searching and discovered a connection between tan floating stools and celiac disease. Such a situation could be an immunological reaction to gluten that damages the small intestines. You can read about celiac disease in greater detail at this link.

He had other symptoms too, so he decided to avoid gluten for a few weeks. He felt dramatically better. But when he told his physicians, they brushed off the idea.
His question: “What should I do next?”

Floating Stool as a Celiac Clue:

Floating stool can indicate malabsorption — especially fat malabsorption called steatorrhea. When the damaged gut can’t absorb fat properly, stool becomes pale, greasy, and buoyant.

Here are some common celiac symptoms:

Digestive Symptoms of Celiac Disease

• Pale or floating stool (tan or light gray)
• Bloating, gas, cramps, diarrhea or flatulence,
• Heartburn or indigestion

Whole Body Symptoms of Celiac Disease

• Fatigue, tiredness, irritability, exhaustion, headache
• Iron-deficiency anemia
• Edema (fluid retention)
• Joint pain
• Psychological symptoms (anxiety and/or depression)
• Nerve damage (numbness or tingling in hands or feet)
• Osteoporosis
• Dermatitis herpetiformis (a blistery, itchy skin rash)
• Easy bruising
• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies

Readers to the Rescue

T.H. offered this advice:

“I think you should get tested for Celiac Disease. You need to get the blood test first. You should keep eating gluten a few weeks before the blood test; otherwise, you could get a false negative.

“Celiac Disease gets overlooked more often than not. I would tell your doctors that you would like to get a blood test. If it is positive, then you should see a gastroenterologist who will perform an endoscopy to verify your blood test results with a biopsy.”

Commonly used tests:

• tTG-IgA (anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA) – preferred screening test

• Total IgA – ensures IgA deficiency won’t cause a false negative

• EMA-IgA (endomysial antibodies) – high specificity

If blood tests suggest celiac, a small-bowel biopsy during endoscopy can confirm the diagnosis.

Genetic tests (HLA-DQ2/HLA-DQ8) can show risk but don’t confirm the condition.

K.H. went into even more detail:

“At this point, he definitely should do more than avoid gluten. He needs to be tested for Celiac Disease before it’s too late. His doctor can order blood tests that indicate either gluten sensitivity or Celiac Disease. The most specific blood test for Celiac is Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase-IgA. There are two DNA tests, as well, but these are less definitive, as he might have the gene(s), but not the disease. The “gold standard” of Celiac diagnosis is biopsy of the small intestine.

“He must get the biopsy before he has been off gluten for long, because in the absence of gluten the intestine heals, so over time, the biopsy will show a false negative. After avoiding gluten for a while, the blood tests also will be negative, and this can indicate that his diet truly is gluten-free.

“I had avoided most (but not all) gluten for a decade when my blood tests came back positive. Fearing a false negative, I declined intestinal biopsy. Now that I’ve been strictly gluten-free for years, gastroenterologists agree that it’s too late for me to be biopsied. I feel certain I am Celiac, because in addition to three positive blood tests, two positive DNA tests, and vast improvement in my health living gluten-free, now if I accidentally eat gluten, my digestion fails and I experience miserable symptoms for three weeks.

“I fear that should I ever be admitted to a hospital, doctors may not believe I am celiac, because I don’t have the “proof” of a biopsy. As an in-patient I may have difficulty ensuring the safety of my nutrition.

“I urge your reader to eat gluten a little while longer, get the blood tests, and if they are positive, get the intestinal biopsy. (With positive biopsy results, pricey DNA tests are unnecessary.) He’ll be so glad to have definitive proof of his illness, if indeed his is celiac.”

Another Possible Cause of Floating Stool:

Although physicians rarely test for this intestinal infection, it too can lead to floating stools. One reader suffered many of the same symptoms as celiac patients including bellyaches, flatulence and fatigue.

She tried a gluten-free diet and while it helped a bit this approach did not solve the problem entirely. Her doctor tested for the bacteria H. pylori and it came back positive. After treatment with antibiotics and probiotics her stools stopped floating, the smelly gas disappeared and she recovered completely.

You can learn more about overcoming H. pylori at this link and find out how other readers beat this stomach bug. By the way, broccoli sprouts can help defeat this bacterial infection.

Is Floating Stool Always a Problem?

J.P. asked whether there is anything wrong with having floating stools if there are no other symptoms.

Our answer: Most of the time, you need to worry about this only if it is a sudden change from your previous experience. But such a change is worth checking out.

B.C. points out that:

“Floating poop could be the sign of something more serious. In my husband’s case, it was one of the first signs of pancreatic cancer. So always mention it to the doc, especially if paired with fatigue and pale-looking skin (which turned out to be jaundice).”

Red flags worth prompt medical evaluation:

• Sudden change in bowel habits
• Floating stool that is pale, greasy, or foul-smelling
• Fatigue, jaundice or unexplained weight loss
• Abdominal pain

Bottom Line:

Floating stool isn’t always harmful — but it can be a sign of:

✅ Celiac disease
✅ Fat malabsorption
✅ H. pylori infection
✅ Other digestive disorders

If this is a new change, or you have additional symptoms, talk with your healthcare provider.
Testing for celiac disease or H. pylori is straightforward and could lead to relief — and better long-term health.

Discover more details about dealing with a range of digestive tract woes in our eGuide to Digestive Disorders.
Share your own floating stool story below and please share this article with friends and family. You could save someone a lot of misery about a topic that most people won’t talk about in polite company.