Why does diarrhea smell worse?
Andrew Mccoy
Updated on January 11, 2026
Certain foods, such as eggs, garlic, legumes, and dairy, are hard to digest and can cause gas. In turn, this makes your stool extra pungent. Other times, the problem may be from an abundance of bad bacteria in your gut, a viral infection, or Clostridioides difficile—a bacterium that causes diarrhea.