Final answer:
Excessively fatty stool, or steatorrhoea, indicates a high lipid content in feces, often resulting from issues with bile flow or lipid absorption. It is characterized by greasy, foul-smelling stool and can be associated with conditions like obesity and gallstones.
Step-by-step explanation:
Excessively fatty stool is a symptom known as steatorrhoea, which occurs when there are large amounts of lipids excreted in the feces. This condition can result from an obstruction to the flow of bile into the intestine or due to a defect in the absorption of digested lipids. Steatorrhoea stool is often described as greasy, foul-smelling, and may float due to the higher fat content. Sufferers of this condition might also experience diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, and gas. When fat absorption is impaired, more free fatty acids are formed by hydrolysis, which can react with calcium to form insoluble calcium soap, leading to the loss of calcium in the feces.
Such abnormalities in lipid digestion can lead to malabsorption syndrome and have a number of underlying causes, including conditions like gallstones, which can block the bile duct leading to poor fat digestion and absorption. Overweight individuals often have an apron-like structure called omentum that lies superficial to the small intestine and collects fat. This, in line with the fact that humans can store fats and that modern diets often include high levels of dietary fats, which is associated with overweight and obesity. Obesity itself is linked to several health complications such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.