Gall Stones
Dear Dr. Mirkin: What causes gall stones?
The main nutritional risk factors for gall stones are being
overweight or losing weight rapidly. Other factors are high
cholesterol and triglyceride levels, taking in too much food,
fasting for more than a day, following a very low calorie diet,
staying on intravenous feeding for more than two weeks, or chronic
constipation.
Your liver removes breakdown products of metabolism from
your bloodstream and converts them to bile which is stored in your
gall bladder. Bile contains cholesterol which can form gall stones,
and bile acids which keep the cholesterol soluble so it does not
form stones. Bile acids are formed from the food that you eat.
When you restrict food, your liver reduces its production of bile
acids, causing cholesterol to form stones. To lose weight without
forming gall stones, eat a high fiber diet based on whole grains,
beans, fruits and vegetables.
If you have belly pain or nausea, particularly after eating
fatty foods, you may have gall stones that increase your chances
of suffering gall bladder and pancreatic cancer. Having your gall
bladder removed increases your chances of suffering colon
cancer. The best way to treat gall stones is to prevent them.