In the upper right abdomen, sitting just below the liver, is a small sac shaped very much like a pear. This is the gallbladder, where the bile your liver produces to help digest fat is stored until it is needed. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse reports that there are several situations that can cause stones of hardened cholesterol to form in your gallbladder. One possible situation that can cause gallstone formation is rapid weight loss. Gallstones can impede the normal flow of bile from the gallbladder to the small intestine and this can lead to infection, which can be potentially dangerous.
Rapid Weight Loss
The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that though there are many factors that contribute to the formation of gallstones, one of the significant ones is obesity and rapid weight loss. Being obese causes your liver to overproduce cholesterol which then goes into the bile. This added cholesterol causes the bile to become saturated and condensed. Rapid weight loss causes the liver to produce even more cholesterol which worsens the saturation of the bile. You heighten your risk of developing gallstones when you lose more than 24 percent of your body weight or by losing more than 3.3 lbs. a week.
Weight Loss without Gallstones
The New York Times suggests that watching your diet, engaging in regular and vigorous exercise and losing weight gradually will enable you to reach your weight loss targets without increasing your risk of developing gallstones. A diet rich in fiber, nuts, fruits and vegetables and which has the right amount of monosaturated fats or omega-3 fatty acids is associated with reducing the risk of forming gallstones. It is also a good idea to make sure that your diet includes Lecithin, which can be found in foods such as eggs, soybeans, liver, wheat germ, and peanuts, because it is a key component in bile and plays an important role in the breakdown of fat and cholesterol.
Diagnosing Gallstones
The University of Maryland Medical Center states that gallstones are actually common and, in many cases, do not cause any symptoms. The main challenge in diagnosing whether gallstones are the cause of gallbladder inflammation, technically called acute cholecystitis, is making sure that the symptoms are not caused by any other condition such as irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatitis or even a heart attack. Your doctor will look for the classic symptoms of acute cholecystitis and validate these using ultrasound imaging.
Treating Gallstones
The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse states that discovering that you gallstones does not automatically mean that you need treatment. It is only when you have frequent gallbladder attacks that you should seek treatment as these can indicate an infected or ruptured gallbladder. Should treatment be necessary, your doctor will likely recommend that you have your gallbladder removed, a procedure called a cholecystectomy. Almost all cholecystectomies are performed with laparoscopy which involves some sedation and several tiny incisions in your abdomen. After a day at the hospital and a few days rest at home, you will be able to resume your normal activities.
References
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Gallstones
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Gallstones and gallbladder disease---Risk factors
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Gallstones and gallbladder disease---Diagnosis
- The New York Times: Health Guide: Acute Cholecystitis (Gallstones)
Member Comments