How fast can food pass through the body?

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I have read somewhere that it is normal to defecate about once a day. This leads me to think that it takes about 24h for food to pass through the body under normal circumstances.

Now lets say you eat some bad sushi that triggers “the runs” within an hour.
When you then defecate, is it the actual sushi that comes out or is it just the food you ate before the sushi?

Also, how fast could food theoretically go from mouth to anus?

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40 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Regardless of the actual answer, your assumption of one poop/day = one day to pass through, is not always true. It could just be that you are defecating out the food from 3 days ago, and replacing it with the food today.

As for how long it really takes, it varies, but [2-5 days is commonly cited.](https://www.mayoclinic.org/digestive-system/expert-answers/faq-20058340#:~:text=It%20takes%20about%2036%20hours,days%2C%20depending%20on%20the%20individual.)

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