Malabsorption

When the gut cannot soak up nutrients · Week 13
The small intestine soaks up nutrients through millions of tiny finger-like villi. They give the gut a huge surface area. Flatten them, cut them out, or inflame them, and food passes straight through. You get diarrhea, steatorrhea (fatty stool), and weight loss. Click each cause and watch the villi.

The intestinal lining (villi)

The green dots are nutrients. They should be soaked up into the villi. Whatever is left flows on and leaves as diarrhea.
Pick a cause to see the villi.
Pick a causeNormal · Celiac · Short bowel · Gastroenteritis

What's happening

Steatorrhea is greasy, floating, foul stool. It comes from fat the gut never took up, and it is a hallmark of malabsorption. Celiac and short bowel both cause it, but the fix differs. Celiac means avoiding gluten. Short bowel means getting the most from the bowel that is left, with small frequent meals, vitamins, and sometimes TPN.