If may surprise you that as much as 50% of the US population suffer from gallstones. However, only a small percentage of those people have gallbladder symptoms.
But, have you ever stopped to think of what actually makes up a gallstone?
There are actually two different kinds of gallstones: cholesterol stones, and pigment stones.
Both of them come from crystallized bile, a fluid made by the liver as a way of removing waste from the body and facilitating fat digestion. Bile is made of a careful balance water, proteins, lecithin, cholesterol, bile salts, and waste products like bilirubin.
When these elements are out of balance, gallstones can form. Cholesterol stones are based on excessive cholesterol in the bile, and are the most common type of gallstone. Pigment stones are less common, typically smaller, and are formed by crystallized bilirubin.
Dr. Marina Rose has helped people with gallbladder symptoms and other challenging, chronic health conditions in and around the city Los Altos, CA.
Eliminating cholesterol intake may seem like it would eliminate the problem, but low or no-fat diets may actually exacerbate the problems by interfering with normal fat digestion. One thought is that lowering fat intake too much prevents the gallbladder from emptying properly. Instead try choosing healthy fats.
Maintaining a healthy weight and staying properly hydrated are also important things you can do to keep your gallbladder healthy. Dr. Andrew Weil suggests that a nutritional approach can help reduce the risk of developing gallbladder symptoms.
When you need natural solutions for gallbladder symptoms, click here to find out how Functional Nutrition can help you. Take our nutritional profile quiz and you’ll get your results immediately.
4 Responses