Is Poop Healthy to Eat? The Good, Bad, and Downright Disgusting

For most people, the idea of snacking on a turd triggers an automatic “yuck!” response. And for good reason – eating poop exposes you to all kinds of nasty germs and parasites. That’s why feces consumption is taboo across human cultures.

But could poop ever be healthy to eat? Surprisingly, there are a few species for whom a little poop on the menu provides benefits. Certain critters absolutely thrive on fecal feasting.

This article explores the pros, cons, and pure grossness around eating poop. When it comes to indulging in this taboo epicurean experience, we’ll uncover who benefits, who definitely should not partake, and why most of us find the mere thought revolting.

The Cons: Dangers of Eating Poop

For humans, chowing down on poop is a profoundly bad idea:

Disease Risk

Feces contain pathogens like norovirus, E.coli, salmonella, and parasitic worms. Eating poop delivers these directly into your digestive system. Possible outcomes include severe diarrhea, vomiting, and other unpleasant GI symptoms.

Toxicity

Poop may contain traces of medications, drugs, heavy metals, and industrial chemicals that passed through the body. Eating it can dose you with toxins.

Social Stigma

Coprophagia, the compulsion to eat poop, is classified as a mental disorder. Socially, poop consumption is taboo across cultures worldwide. Expect judgement for openly snacking on stools.

Nutritional Deficit

Feces passed too quickly don’t provide time for nutrient absorption. You gain little nutritional benefit from eating poop. But miss out on actual nutrition from regular food sources.

The verdict is clear: For humans, chowing down on poo provides zero health benefits and plenty of safety risks. Do not add it to your diet.

Exceptions: When Animals Naturally Eat Poop

While poop eating has a proper scientific name, coprophagia, not all species partake in feasting on feces.

But for some animal species, a little poop can provide benefits:

Rabbits and Rodents

Lagomorph species like rabbits, hares, and pikas naturally eat their own poop to fully digest their food. Their digestive systems have two phases. In the second pass after re-ingesting pellets, more nutrients are absorbed from the partly digested vegetation. This may provide nutrition during winter when other foods are scarce.

Dogs

Most dogs eat poop as pups but outgrow it. For persistent poop eaters, possible causes include health issues like enzyme deficiencies or intestinal parasites – so call your vet. Eating cat poop poses particular disease risks. Discourage the habit with distraction, adding fiber or enzymes, or taste deterrents on feces.

Flies and Dung Beetles

These insects feed off decaying organic matter, including animal droppings. They play a helpful role by recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. Their larvae also serve as food for birds and other insect eaters.

So while less common, coprophagia is normal for some animals where it may provide nutritional or digestive benefits. If your pet partakes, consult your vet on safe discouragement methods.

Psychological Causes of Poop Eating

For humans who feel compelled to eat their own feces or that of others, underlying psychological factors are almost always present. Possible motivations include:

Curiosity

Toddlers explore the world through taste and may sample poop out of curiosity. Gentle distraction and teaching can curb this habit.

Attention Seeking

Older children may eat poop to get a reaction from caregivers or classmates. Ignoring the behavior helps extinguish it.

Stress or Anxiety

Self-consumed excrement can be a self-soothing coping mechanism for difficult emotions. Therapy helps address the root cause.

Mental Disability

Some neuropsychiatric conditions associated with coprophagia include autism, schizophrenia, depression, and dementia. Healthcare providers can suggest interventions.

Nutritional Deficiency

While not proven, anemia or lack of vitamins like B12 may potentially trigger poop eating in humans per anecdotal reports. Correcting deficiencies may help.

If you or a loved one can’t resist tasting poo, seek medical advice to identify and address potential psychological or physical factors. Don’t shy away from getting help.

Using Poop for Health: Fecal Transplants

There is one medically validated way to leverage poop for improved health – fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). But relax – this doesn’t require eating feces!

FMT involves transplanting stool from a healthy donor into the colon or stomach of a recipient. introducing new gut bacteria. It is an approved treatment for C. difficile infections unresponsive to antibiotics.

Researchers also study FMT for conditions tied to gut health like:

• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Metabolic disorders
• Autoimmune diseases

By rebalancing gut microbiota, FMT may support disease treatment and overall wellness. But the transplant process doesn’t require literal poop consumption.

Why We Find Eating Poop Repulsive

If you’re gagging at the thought of dining on your own droppings, you’re not alone. Science explains our deep disgust response:

Disease Avoidance

Feces contain abundant pathogens transmissible through ingestion. Our drive to avoid illness and death makes poop consumption repellant.

Learned Behavior

Watching others react with disgust teaches us this strongly negative association from a young age. Poop = sickening, inedible, yucky.

Mating Selectivity

Consuming fecal bacteria could compromise health and mate attractiveness. Revulsion discourages this non-selective behavior.

Social Cohesion

Shared attitudes around hygiene and disgust strengthen social bonds. Violating poop taboos damages group cohesion and trust.

So don’t feel ashamed about shrieking “ew, gross!” when someone mentions eating poop. Your instinctive revulsion is 100% normal and evolutionarily wise.

The Takeaway: Should You Eat Poop?

For humans, science decisively shows that eating feces is dangerous with no health benefits. Don’t do it.

But for some animal species, coprophagia provides nutritional and digestive advantages. And fecal transplants medically harness stool for improved wellness.

While poop can play helpful roles in nature and medicine, these don’t justify literal fecal feasting. So let your disgust at the notion guide you.

When nature calls, head for the toilet not the dinner table. Your health and social bonds will thank you for not indulging any secret poop-eating urges you may have. And we’ll all avoid gagging as we go about our day.