gallstones

InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH

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Roughly 10 to 15% of the US population suffers from gallstones. What are gallstones and what can you be doing about them? That’s what I’m going to be discussing today.†

The connection between gallstones and diet

We know that gallstones have been linked directly with diet. Gallstones themselves are hard deposits that are formed from bile components within the gallbladder or within the bile ducts themselves. They are most commonly formed where there is an excess of cholesterol that gets trapped within the bile and it causes it to crystalize. These blockages caused by gallstones drives up pain.†  

There are certain things that can increase your risk for the development of gallstones. First and foremost is the Standard American Diet. The Western diet is the strongest risk factor for the development of gallstones. This diet is not high in fiber, not supportive of cholesterol and not very good for your gallbladder.† 

WHAT IS THE PORTFOLIO DIET? – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 414. Listen Now>>

We also know that women are more likely than men to develop gallstones and there are hormonal connections to that. There is an estrogen-driven component to this in the way that cholesterol is transported throughout the female body versus the male body.†

Being overweight or obese is also a problem, as are certain prescription medications that can leave you more open to the development of gallstones.† 

Nutrients that support gallbladder health

The traditional method of dealing with this issue is having the gallbladder removed. With that, the pain is going to go away, but then we have limited the body’s ability to release bile. This is kind of the endgame.†

We also know that there are other things we can do for our gallbladder before rushing to have it removed. We can certainly change up our diet and have more of a plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. These will include healthy fats that the body will have a much easier time breaking down. High fiber foods are also important because they help with the regulation of cholesterol so it can’t crystalize and form those stones.† 

There are different nutrients that we can consider to support our gallbladder as well. Vitamin C happens to be a big one. We can also look at omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats have been shown to help attenuate the risk for developing gallstones. We can look at SAMe, which is very important for all of the different methylation reactions that go on in the body. SAMe has been shown to improve bile flow, so this might actually lower the level of cholesterol in the bile itself. Nutrients such as EGCG from green tea and Vitamin E have also been looked at for their role in gallbladder health.†

ASK YOUR DOCTOR: VITAMIN C FOR CELLULAR HEALTH – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 192. Listen Now>>

In this episode, Amanda Williams, MPH discusses the painful problem of gallstones. She explains how they form and what you can do to help support the health of the gallbladder.†

Key Topics:

• The function of the gallbladder
• How genetics impact gallstones
• The role of certain prescription medications
• The important role of Vitamin C

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