Can High Cholesterol Cause Gallstones

Will I Need To Change My Diet After Gallstone Surgery

Your digestive system may take some weeks to adjust to the lack of a gallbladder. Some people may experience temporary indigestion or diarrhea during the transition period. Your healthcare provider will advise you not to eat anything too rich or fatty while you recover. Most people can return to a normal diet after a few weeks.

Can You Use Drug Treatment To Reduce Cholesterol Gallstones

Some people think that if high cholesterol is associated with gallstones, statin treatment could help.

Statins and a drug called ezetimibe, which are used to treat high cholesterol have been shown to change the composition of bile and to reduce the rate at which cholesterol stones form.

Two large population studies have shown that statins given to people to prevent heart attacks did also reduce their risk of having to have surgical gallbladder removal.

However, although other controlled trials were done to find out if statins could prevent the formation of gallstones, these produced conflicting results.

More research is needed but for the moment the best medical advice is that you should take statins to reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke if you need to and maybe benefit from the reduced risk of gallstones as a secondary effect.

They are not prescribed to prevent gallstones if you dont have a high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Main Causes Of Gallstones & Gallbladder Disease

Your gallbladder may cause symptoms if something blocks the flow of bile through your cystic duct. The most common cause of a blockage is a gallstone. Doctors believe stones form when bile has too much cholesterol or not enough bile salts. Stones can also form if the gallbladder does not empty correctly. And, just having gallstones can cause more gallstones to form.

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Who Is Affected By Gallstones

The following are suggested risk factors for gallstones:

• Obesity. Obesity is a major risk factor for gallstones, especially in women.

• Estrogen. Excess estrogen from pregnancy, hormone replacement therapy, or birth control pills appears to increase cholesterol levels in bile and decrease gallbladder movement, both of which can lead to gallstones.

• Ethnicity. Native Americans have the highest rates of gallstones in this country and seem to have a genetic predisposition to secrete high levels of cholesterol in bile.

• Gender. Women are twice as likely to develop gallstones than men.

• Age. People over 60 are more likely to develop gallstones than younger people.

• Cholesterol-lowering drugs. Drugs that lower cholesterol in blood can actually increase the amount of cholesterol secreted in bile, which, in turn, increases the risk of gallstones.

• Diabetes. People with diabetes generally have high levels of fatty acids, called triglycerides, which increase the risk for gallstones.

• Rapid weight loss. As the body metabolizes fat during rapid weight loss, it causes the liver to secrete extra cholesterol into bile, which can cause gallstones.

• Fasting. Fasting decreases gallbladder movement, which causes the bile to become overconcentrated with cholesterol.

Gallbladder Pain High Cholesterol And Triglycerides

2chr2015

Hi everyone. I have been having pain in my GB. Previously had sludge and gravel stones on ultrasound. This time it didn’t show anything. So, doctor did some more labs and my cholesterol and triglycerides were elevated. Freaked me out because I have never had that before. I’m still having pain. So can I assume the elevated labs is the cause of my gb pain? Or are they elevated Bc my gb isn’t functioning? Any thoughts?

0 likes, 5 replies

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Can Lack Of Bile Cause Diarrhea

Since bile is necessary to digest fats, lack of bile can cause several problems related to fat digestion. One of them is diarrhea from accumulation of undigested fat in the stool.

In fat digestion is a problem, you may also see oily droplets in the toilet. It may also produce a foul smell. Pale stool and oily droplets are give-away signs of a definite bile deficiency. In that case, you would be wise either to stimulate liver to produce more bile, or supplement ox bile.

The Root Cause Approach To Supporting Liver Gallbladder And Fat Digestion

If you are experiencing symptoms associated with fat malabsorption, if you know you have a gallbladder condition such as gallstones, or if you are at an increased risk for gallbladder disease, my Root Cause Approach recommends several goals to focus on:

• Supporting your liver and gallbladder health overall
• Stimulating bile flow to support fat digestion
• Dissolving gallstones or common bile duct stones
• Supporting your bodys overall detoxification system

There are a number of supplements that I recommend, as well as supportive foods that you can incorporate into your diet, to help you reach these goals:

1. Rootcologys Liver & Gallbladder Support can help support liver and gallbladder health, while also supporting fat digestion, in three different ways: it can support the livers ability to process fat, it can give us extra bile, and it can support a healthy bile flow . I routinely recommend taking one capsule of this supplement with each meal, as a key component of my Liver Support Protocol!

This supplement also contains some key ingredients that help with gallbladder health:

For a limited time, I am offering a 10% off discount on Rootcology Liver & Gallbladder Support to my readers. Simply enter the code LVGB2021 at checkout to receive your discount through .

Here is what Kristen H. had to say after trying Rootcology Liver and Gallbladder Support:

Precautions

As always, please consult with your practitioner before starting any new supplement.

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What Causes Gallstones And How Can You Get Rid Of Them

Contrary to the name, gallstones arent exactly stones. Instead, theyre solid pieces of material that can start forming in the gallbladder, which is a small organ right under your liver. Many of us have gallstones but just dont know it. Then, once they block one of your bile ducts, thats when you feel the pain, and thus treatment is necessary.

Blockages can cause digestive enzymes to get trapped in the pancreas. This can lead to a very painful inflammation called gallstone pancreatitis. If those ducts stay blocked for a long time, the outcome can be fatal. At the very least, infections can occur to the gallbladder, liver or pancreas.

When Should I See My Healthcare Provider

See your healthcare provider right away if you experience:

• Discharge or redness at your incision site.
• Fever above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Pale stools or dark urine.
• Persistent nausea or vomiting.
• Swelling that doesnt go away.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Gallbladder removal or cholecystectomy is surgery to take out an organ called the gallbladder. You may need this surgery if you have gallstones. Gallstones are small pebble-like deposits that build up in your gallbladder. Your surgeon may use an open or laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Both procedures are safe, effective options, and most people recover within two to eight weeks. Cholecystectomy is a common treatment for gallstones. You can live well without your gallbladder.

Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 07/08/2021.

References

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Signs And Symptoms Of Gallstones

Gallstones can lead to pain in the upper right abdomen or the center of your stomach. You may experience gallbladder pain from time to time after you eat foods that are high in fat, such as fried foods, but the pain can occur at almost any time.

Pain caused by gallstone issues usually lasts for only a few hours, but it can feel severe.

If gallstones are left untreated or unidentified, the symptoms may increase to include:

• a high temperature
• confusion
• a loss of appetite

These symptoms can be signs of a gallbladder infection, or inflammation of the gallbladder, liver, or pancreas.

Because gallstone symptoms may mimic the symptoms of other serious issues like appendicitis and pancreatitis, no matter what, if youre dealing with one or more of these issues its time to see a doctor or get yourself to the ER.

Cholesterol Nucleation Promoting And Inhibiting Proteins

Of all the tissues in the body, the gallbladder epithelium is uniquely positioned to face the highest concentrations of bile lipids for the longest time. To cope with this situation, GBECs secrete special proteins, either to protect themselves against the detergent effect of a high concentration of bile salts or to prevent cellular cholesterol overload by facilitating its apical-to-basolateral efflux., Nevertheless, this function becomes impaired when GBECs are challenged by lithogenic bile, which leads to alterations in the secretion of these proteins and an imbalance between cholesterol nucleation promoting and inhibiting factors.

Biliary apolipoprotein A-I , which can be synthesized by GBECs, possesses nucleation inhibiting properties. At concentrations present in bile, apoA-I can directly retard cholesterol crystal nucleation when added to model systems of supersaturated bile. In addition, apoA-I can also elicit basolateral cholesterol efflux via the ABCA1-mediated pathway and enhance its removal from gallbladder bile. However, bile samples from gallstone patients exhibit reduced Apo A-I concentrations when compared with those from gallstone-free patients.

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Symptoms Of Gallbladder Disease

• Signs and symptoms of gallbladder disease are often caused by gallstones that block your bile ducts. Gallstones occur when bile hardens in your gallbladder.
• Gallbladder symptoms are sometimes called gallbladder attacks because they can occur without warning. Gallbladder attacks often happen at night or after a high fat meal.
• Steady pain in upper right side of your stomach
• Pain increases quickly and lasts 30 minutes to several hours
• Pain between your shoulder blades
• Pain under your right shoulder
• If your symptoms get worse or include a fever, see a doctor immediately. An attack often goes away when gallstones move, but your gallbladder can become infected and rupture if the blockage remains. Thats why it is important to let your doctor know if you think you had a gallbladder attack.

Why Are Women More At Risk Of Developing Gallstones

Estrogen increases cholesterol, and progesterone slows down gallbladder contractions. Both hormones are especially high during certain periods in your reproductive life, such as menstruation and pregnancy. When hormone levels begin to drop in menopause, many people use hormone therapy to replace them, which elevates them again.

Women and people assigned female at birth are also more likely to gain and lose body fat more frequently. Excessive body fat can translate to extra cholesterol in your blood. Having obesity increases estrogen. On the other hand, rapid weight loss has a similar effect to weight gain. When you lose a lot of body fat at once, it sends an unusually large load of cholesterol to your liver for processing, which ends up in your bile.

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Too Much Bilirubin In Your Bile

Bilirubin is a chemical produced during the normal breakdown of red blood cells. After its created, it passes through the liver and is eventually excreted out of the body.

Some conditions, such as liver damage and certain blood disorders, cause your liver to produce more bilirubin than it should. Pigment gallstones form when your gallbladder cant break down the excess bilirubin. These hard stones are often dark brown or black.

How Long Is The Recovery From Gallstone Surgery

If you have a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, you can be home within 24 hours. You can recover in about two weeks. If you have open surgery, youll need to stay in the hospital for three to five days afterward. Your recovery at home will be six to eight weeks. Your digestive system may take two to eight weeks to adjust after the operation.

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What Tests Are Used To Diagnose Cholelithiasis

Ultrasound: An abdominal ultrasound is a simple and noninvasive test that requires no preparation or medication. Its usually all thats needed to locate gallstones. However, it doesnt visualize the common bile duct very well. If your healthcare provider suspects theres a gallstone hidden in there, they might need to use another type of imaging test to find it.

MRCP: Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography is a type of MRI that specifically visualizes the bile ducts. Its non-invasive and creates very clear images of your biliary system, including the common bile duct. Your provider might use this test first to find a suspected gallstone there. But if theyre already pretty sure its there, they might skip it and go straight to an ERCP.

ERCP: ERCP stands for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. This test is a little more invasive, but its a useful one for finding gallstones because it can also be used to remove them from the ducts if they are stuck there. It uses a combination of X-rays and endoscopy, which means passing a tiny camera on the end of a long tube down your throat and into your upper GI tract.

__Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography can diagnose and sometimes treat gallstones.

Endoscopic ultrasound passes through the mouth to the common bile duct and gall bladder.

Lipid Transport And Csi

Normal gallbladder epithelium may have a positive effect on gallbladder bile and hence an ability to prevent cholesterol supersaturation this ability is impaired in patients with CGD, however. To better clarify the influence that gallbladder epithelium exerts on bile, a more direct methodological approach has been developed by Corradini et al using the in vitro-isolated, intra-arterially perfused gallbladder model. Their results demonstrated that cholesterol absorption by the gallbladder was markedly reduced in cholesterol gallstone patients compared with those in controls, whereas bile salt absorption was less affected. Consequently, gallstone gallbladders induced a more lithogenic bile with significant increase of cholesterol and decrease in bile salt molar percentages due to impaired lipid absorption. In combination with hepatic cholesterol hypersecretion, this defect in lipid absorption represents an additional contributing factor to cholesterol gallstone formation.

Figure 2

Cholesterol transporters in the gallbladder epithelial cells . Transport proteins are visualized as symbols. Known transfer directions are shown in solid lines, while hypothetical transfer directions are shown in dotted lines.

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Risk Factors For Developing Gallstones

From study and observation, researchers have identified risk factors for developing gallstones. Understanding these factors may help prevent a gallstone attack.

Your age, gender, ethnic background, and genetic makeup can place you more at risk for gallstones. If youre over 40, a woman, Native American, Hispanic, or if gallstones run in your family, youre more at risk.

Your lifestyle including how much you exercise and what you eat can contribute to your risk for gallstones. Researchers have connected having a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and a diet high in cholesterol and fat and low in fiber as factors that can lead to the formation of gallstones. You can also develop gallstones from a rapid weight-loss diet.

Medical conditions like diabetes, intestinal infections, and cirrhosis of the liver may also cause gallstones. If youre pregnant or on birth control pills, your estrogen levels can surge. Research shows that high levels of estrogen are associated with gallstones.

Treatment And Management Options

In most cases, you wont know you have cholesterolosis unless you have an ultrasound or other imaging test for gallstones, or after a cholecystectomy, the removal of your gallbladder.

Because there arent usually any symptoms associated with cholesterolosis and the polyps are most often benign, no treatment is necessary. If your doctor does discover that you have this condition, you may have an MRI or another scan done once a year, just to keep an eye on the polyps. In some cases, your doctor may want to do a biopsy of your polyps to confirm that theyre benign.

There are some medical professionals who believe that controlling some aspects of your general health may help prevent or manage cholesterolosis. This includes:

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Get To A Healthy Weight

Being overweight or obese raises your chances of getting gallstones. One study found that obesity makes you three times more likely to get gallstone disease. Thatâs because extra pounds can make your gallbladder larger and not work as well, and raise your cholesterol levels. Thatâs especially true if you carry your extra weight around your waist instead of in your hips and thighs.

Living Without A Gallbladder

A person can survive without a gallbladder. The liver produces enough bile to digest a normal diet. If a persons gallbladder is removed, the bile reaches the small intestine from the liver via the hepatic ducts, rather than being stored in the gallbladder.

A small proportion of people who have had their gallbladder removed will experience softer and more frequent stools for a while because their bile flows into the small intestine more often.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Gallstones

At first, most gallstones do not cause symptoms. However, when gallstonesbecome larger, or when they begin obstructing bile ducts, symptoms or”attacks” begin to occur. Attacks of gallstones usually occur after a fattymeal and at night. The following are the most common symptoms ofgallstones. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently.Symptoms may include:

• Steady, severe pain in the upper abdomen that increases rapidly and may last from 30 minutes to several hours

• Pain in the back between the shoulder blades

• Pain in the right shoulder

• Nausea

• Yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes

• Clay-colored stools

Some people with gallstones do not have any symptoms. These stones arecalled “silent stones,” because they do not interfere with the function ofthe gallbladder, liver, or pancreas, and do not require treatment in mostcases.

The symptoms of gallstones may resemble other conditions or medicalproblems, such as heart attack, appendicitis, ulcers, irritable bowelsyndrome, hiatal hernia, pancreatitis, or hepatitis. Always consult yourhealth care provider for a diagnosis.