A gallbladder attack is another term for the symptoms of gallstones, a gallbladder disorder characterized by abnormal hardening of a digestive juice called bile. These stones trigger an attack by blocking openings in the gallbladder called bile ducts. While a number of factors can raise your risks for gallstones and a gallbladder attack, coffee consumption does not typically cause problems.
Background
Your gallbladder acts as a storage organ for bile, which is produced in the liver and transported to the gallbladder through a series of bile ducts called the hepatic duct, the common bile duct and the cystic duct. Components in bile include water, proteins, fats, substances called bile salts, cholesterol and a waste product called bilirubin. When you eat foods that contain fat, bile released from the gallbladder helps you digest them in your small intestine. Gallstones appear to form when there is too much or too little of certain bile components, or when the gallbladder fails to empty fully or regularly.
About Gallbladder Attacks
Roughly 80 percent of gallstones are formed from hardened cholesterol, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, or NDDIC. The remainder are formed around hardened accumulations of bilirubin. Depending on their circumstances, people with gallstones may have one large stone in their gallbladder, hundreds of much smaller stones or a large stone in combination with smaller stones. A gallbladder attack occurs when a gallstone blocks one of the bile ducts and triggers a bile buildup inside the gallbladder or in a duct. Potential symptoms of an attack include pain under your right shoulder, pain between your shoulder blades and the rapid onset of increasing pain in your right upper abdomen.
Gallstone and Attack Risks
A number of risk factors have been identified for the onset of gallstones and, by logical extension, gallbladder attack. They include a family history of gallstones, Native American heritage, female gender, consumption of a diet that is low in fiber and high in cholesterol and fat, advancing age, obesity, rapid weight loss, diabetes, cirrhosis, Crohn's disease, metabolic syndrome, use of cholesterol-lowering medications and prolonged use of intravenous feeding. If you have gallstones, a gallbladder attack can occur in the aftermath of any meal. Consumption of a meal high in fat specifically increases your risks.
Coffee Risks
If you drink more than four cups of coffee a day, you can potentially experience side effects that include a rapid heartbeat, muscle tremors, an upset stomach, irritability, nervousness, restlessness and insomnia. In some cases, these effects can appear in people who are caffeine-sensitive and drink coffee in much smaller amounts. Other potential problems associated with habitual consumption of coffee or any other source of caffeine include long-term bone loss and osteoporosis, worsening of headache symptoms, aggravation of stress or anxiety and aggravation of pre-existing heart problems. Consult your doctor for more information on gallbladder attack causes and coffee consumption risks.
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