Weight Loss and Gallstones

You need to realize that overweight individuals do have a larger risk to develop gallstones (sometimes written gall stones) than regular weight people. Another thing that you have to understand is that when you go through a diet that is based on low calories intake every single day is also hazardous. This is because rapid weight loss will also increase the risk to develop gallstones. The entire topic of weight loss and gallstones is researched and analyzed but there are so few people that really understand it. That is why we need to learn the facts that are linked to this topic.

A gallstone is formed of solid material and appears inside the gallbladder. You will develop them as many small stones or as one large stone. They come as a mix of compounds although most of them are cholesterol. The real problem stands in the fact that people with gallstones do not have any symptoms in most cases and they do not really know that they are suffering from gallstones. On the other hand, there are cases when painful attacks happen and this is not pleasant at all.

The gallbladder is the place where the bile is stored and released into the intestine in order to help in aiding digestion. Bile is simply a fluid that is created by the liver and it helps digestion as it contains various substances named bile salts. They basically act as natural detergents that break down fats found in what we eat. The bile is highly important in eliminating cholesterol from our body. To put it simple all is needed in order to eliminate cholesterol from our bodies.

How do gallstones get formed? Most researchers think that there are 3 situations when this happens. The first one is linked to a supersaturated bile as it contains too much cholesterol than salts can dissolve. The second one is linked to a visible imbalance of various substances including protein. That is when cholesterol starts to crystallize, thus forming gallstones. The third situation happens when the gallbladder can not contract enough to empty the bile regularly.

The real problem with gallstones is that obese people are more likely to develop them. The greater the obesity level the greater risk of forming these stones. Nobody really knows why this happens but most people think that the liver is producing too much cholesterol so it can easily lead to a supersaturation inside the gallbladder. Also, if you lose a lot of weight rapidly you will have the same risk as gallstones are considered a complication of voluntary weight loss that can easily happen.

All this raises one huge question: Why Does Weight Loss Cause Gallstones? The popular belief is that dieting can destroy the balance found between cholesterol on bile salts in the gallbladder. This basically means that you have increased cholesterol level and decreased bile salts levels. If you spend a long time not eating then the gallbladder will not contract often enough to empty the potential small bile gallstones that can appear and so they become dangerous.

Now the real problem stands in thinking whether or not it is worth losing weight if there is a risk of developing gallstones. The answer is YES and you do need to lose weight properly. Gallstones appear when you are trying to lose weight too fast and when you are basically not eating. Holding a proper weight loss diet will aid you in more ways than one.