How Much Poop Can The Human Body Hold?
By RICHARD MILNER
History - Science
We spend an estimated range from 92 days to 416 days to three years of life on the toilet to poop, and before that waste is released, a certain amount is stored in our bodies.
According to Live Science, the human body generates two centimeters of poop every second of every day. The average amount of total stored human poop is about 14 ounces.
Several factors influence poop quantity and poop retention, including exercise, diet and type/ratio of nutrients, water, age, medication, and stress.
There are also links between hormone levels and bowel regularity, especially with menstrual cycles. Disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome also impact poop storage.
Above all else, constipation — or a lack thereof — determines how much poop a person carries inside. The longer you’re constipated, the more poop accumulates in the colon.
About 30% of poop is composed of fluids and the other 70% is composed of solids. If it moves through the body too quickly, not enough water gets absorbed and poop becomes soft.
If poop moves too slowly, more water gets absorbed and it becomes firm. The longer it stays in, the more water gets absorbed, the firmer it gets, and the harder it is to poop out.
Dr. Darren Brenner, a professor in the gastroenterology division at Northwestern, told Politifact, “[T]here is unlikely to be more than a few pounds of stool in the colon.”