1. The Function of the Gallbladder
Gallstones are a type of stone-like material that forms inside the gallbladder. The gallbladder is the small, pear-shaped organ, connected to the liver, which is responsible for producing and storing bile. Gallstones are made when trapped bile in the gallbladder hardens. The gallbladder is responsible for helping your body digest fats. The liver produces bile, which is then stored in the gallbladder until the body is ready to break down fat substances. During the digestion of fats, the gallbladder contracts and bile is pushed into the bile duct, from where it is then carried on to the small intestine to help with the digestive processes. If the bile contains too many bile salts or too much bilirubin or cholesterol, this may cause it to harden into gallstones.
2. Types of Gallstone
Two different types of gallstones may develop, one is pigment stones. These are dark-colored stones comprised of bilirubin. The other kind are cholesterol stones. These are yellow stones comprised of cholesterol. The latter make up at least 80 percent of gallstones. Gallstones vary in size; they may be as tiny as a grain of sand or as big as a ping pong ball. Your gallbladder can make hundreds of small stones, just one large stone, or a combination of small and large stones.
3. Weight Loss and Gallstones
Recent studies have shown that gallstones are one of the most common medical complications for adults who are on diets, particularly those who lose a significant amount of weight and those who lose weight quickly. Adults who lose a great deal of weight very quickly, greatly increase their chance of developing gallstones. Recently a long term study was undertaken on women who were on weight-loss programs. The women, who each lost between 10 and 22 pounds over a period of two years, were more than 40 percent more likely to develop gallstones than women who lost no weight. In the study, the subjects who lost in excess of 25 pounds were about twice as likely to develop gallstones.
