Gallstones -- small, hard mineral deposits made up in part from calcium that form in your gallbladder -- can disrupt your normal digestion and cause intense pain and inflammation. It's not always clear why they form, although diet appears to play some role. However, even though you find calcium in gallstones, cutting back on foods that contain calcium doesn't appear to reduce your risk for gallstones. In fact, certain foods that contain plenty of calcium can help you prevent gallstones and gallbladder disease.
Calcium supplements cause gallstones. However, gallstones made of calcium are generally rare in adults. According to a 2007 article in the "Journal of Pediatric Surgery," gallstones made of calcium account for 5 to 30 percent o...
Bile is produced by the liver. When your body digests food, the gallbladder releases a little bile to help break down food in the small intestine. However, in some cases fats and minerals in the bile clump together to form hard...
Gallstones can be asymptomatic or can cause significant pain and serious complications. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as many as 20 million Americans have gallstones. Although some risk factors ...
Small gallstones slip out of the gallbladder unnoticed, but larger stones block the gallbladder outlet, creating intense pain and a potentially critical health condition. Minimize the risk of gallstones by avoiding the foods th...
Gallstones crystals, the concretions of mineral salts, are formed by the precipitation of bile containing cholesterol and bilirubin in the gallbladder, an organ that stores bile, or biliary passages. Bile made by the liver is s...
Mild nausea is defined as the sensation of feeling the urge to vomit, but without actually vomiting. Bloating is defined as a feeling of fullness in the abdomen that may be accompanied by visible abdominal swelling. Mild nausea...
Bile is a liquid containing cholesterol, bilirubin, bile salts and other substances. Gallstones, rock-like material within the gallbladder, form when there is too much cholesterol or bilirubin in the bile or if the gallbladder ...
Pigment stones are usually small, and black or brown. The stones can range in size from extremely tiny to as large as a golf ball. Understanding what causes pigment stones can help in the prevention and diagnosis of the conditi...
Gallstones are more common in females, individuals over the age of 60, pregnant women, and obese people. Gallstones can block the bile from leaving the gallbladder and can cause inflammation and pain for the affected individual.
Gallstones range in size and can be accompanied by a number of symptoms, such as pain in the abdomen, fever and jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin. There are two different types of gallstones: cholesterol gallstones and...
Bile is a thick substance made of water, proteins, cholesterol, bile salts and bilirubin that helps to digest fat, according to the National Digestive Disease Information Council. Imbalances in cholesterol or bilirubin lead to...
Pigment stones primarily consist of bilirubin and are darker in color. The size of gallstones can range in size from as small as grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Large gallstones can block the ducts of the digestive tr...
The gallbladder releases bile whenever you need to break up fats. If the bile has too much cholesterol, that liquid bile will become hard and form a cholesterol gallstone. According to the National Digestive Diseases Informatio...
There are two types of gallstones: cholesterol gallstones and pigment gallstones. Almost 10 percent of adults have gallstones, and most of them are cholesterol stones. The medical terms for gallstone diseases depend upon the lo...
