Gallstones: Causes, Risk, Treatment & Diet
Let’s start with Gallbladder! Well, Gallbladder is an important organ in our body which assist the digestive process by collecting bile and discharging it in the small intestine when food enters. Gallstones or simply known as Stones in Gallbladder are small pieces of solid material formed inside the gallbladder.
Types of Gallstones:
There are the following two types of Stones in Gallbladder:
- Cholesterol Stones: Generally yellow and green in colour, almost 80% of stones in the gallbladder are cholesterol stones.
- Pigment Stones: They are smaller and darker than cholesterol stones. These stones in Gallbladder are not found so commonly.
What Are the Causes of Stones in Gallbladder?
There are many reasons for gallstones which differ from person to person. I have mentioned some of them below:
- Bile contains an excess of cholesterol. Usually, bile holds enough chemicals to dissolve cholesterol excreted by the liver. But, if, for any reason, liver excretes extra cholesterol than what your bile can dissolve, then that extra cholesterol first becomes crystal and then stones.
- If gallbladder doesn’t empty properly, then there are chances of formation of gallstones.
- Diseases like cirrhosis, biliary tract infections, and certain blood disorders cases Gallstones in which bile contains a surplus of Bilirubin. It can lead to the formation of Pigment Stones.
What Are Risk Factors for Gallstones?
Apart from the causes above, there are other risk factors for gallstones. They are:
1. Genetics: There are more chances for stones in the gallbladder of the people whose ancestors have had the same disease.
2. Obesity: Obesity leads to rise in cholesterol levels in the body and also sometimes interferes in gallbladder function for emptying it completely.
3. Women: Generally pregnant women who take birth control pills have a high level of oestrogens which increases cholesterol in the body and ultimately leads to the formation of stones in the gallbladder.
4. Age: This disease is very common in old age people.
What Are the Symptoms of Gallstones?
Stones in Gallbladder are known as silent stones as they often don’t cause any symptoms. A person gets to know about gallstones generally when he gets himself examined for any other diseases. Still, there are some symptoms like:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Severe pain occasionally in upper back and upper abdomen
- Gastrointestinal problems like indigestion, heartburn and bloating
What Are the Treatments for Gallstones?
Traditional gallstones treatment generally comprised of taking out gallbladder via surgery known as open cholecystectomy but the newer procedure known as laparoscopic cholecystectomy is more often used these days.
- Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A surgeon looks inside of the body through a camera passed inside the body via several tiny cuts in the abdomen. It is majorly used in gallbladder removals after which a patient stays at the hospital for few days.
- Open Cholecystectomy: It is a more intensive procedure in which a doctor takes out the whole gallbladder via a single big cut in the abdomen. But it is now less preferred treatment.
There is no issue in the body if a surgeon removed the gallbladder from one’s body because humans can live without it. The only thing to take care is that one must avoid certain food items after gallbladder removal.
What Should Be the Diet After You Have a Gallstone Surgery?
Once your gallstone surgery is over, you have to mainly intake liquids like broth and gelatine, and then slowly transit to solid food items when you start feeling better. Your gallbladder used to break-down fats from your body, but now when it is removed, you have to take care to not to consume fatty foods, else you may experience bloating, diarrhea, and gas.
Below are some food items you need to avoid if you have had gallstones:
- Fried foods like potato chips and French fries etc.
- Dairy products with high fat like cream, whole milk, cheese etc.
- Junk foods like Pizzas, burgers etc.
- Food with extra butter and cheese.
- Chocolates and sauces.
- High fibre foods like Cereals, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Legumes etc.
If you found this post helpful, please spread good health by sharing this post on social media with your family, friends and loved ones.
You can have a severe pain due to Gallstones, and this may affect your mind and body badly. If you feel low and unhappy, it may be the sign of depression. Check out our post on Depression Awareness: Signs, Causes, Types & Treatments to overcome such situations.
Rohit Kishore
Though digital marketing (especially SEO) is my forte, my passion for writing together with my habit of reading anything and everything about Health and Wellness gave birth to Wellness Rediscover blog covering all the important sections of Health niche.
Latest posts by Rohit Kishore (see all)
- Ketogenic Diet for Uncontrolled Epilepsy Treatment - January 21, 2020
- 10 Foods That Fight Against UV Damages - September 22, 2019
- 5 Health Benefits of Coffee, Based on Science - June 16, 2018
You’re obese. This is one of the biggest risk factors. Obesity can raise your cholesterol level and also make it harder for the gallbladder to empty completely.
I liked the information on causes & treatment of gallstones. Are your sure that removal of gallbladder from the human body will not affect human in long run?
Gallstones can cause huge stomach pain if you will not follow the nutrition diet and should be consulted with doctor soon. The causes, risk, treatment and diet for preventing gallstones written in blog id helpful for me.
Due to gallstones causes many of us today are facing stomach pain so please do checkup with doctor if this happens again and again. All of us should know the causes, risk, treatment and diet to prevent gallstones. You have shared a very good information on this blog.
Thanks for such a healthy information about Gallstones. I will share the information of gallstones and its prevention, treatment and diet with my friends.
These days gallstones problem have increased. I will definitely keep in mind the causes, risk, treatment & diet for gallstones.
As doctor’s say gallstones can happen again and again if we will not take proper diet in proper time. So there are various cause of gallstones in which some of them are mentioned here. I liked this blog as i was unaware of the treatment which i found here.
Gallstones are mainly caused due to drinking dirty water, eating junk foods and it can happen again and again but if we follow these diet and treatment then definitely it may have solution to cure gallstones. Highly recommend this blog. Good work.
Its such a needful information for Gallstones and its effect on gallbladder. All of us should know the causes, risk, treatment and diet for gallstones.
You have given good information on gallstones cause, risk, treatment & diet. Many of us don’t know about this. It’s good platform to know all this.
Gallstones problem is the common problem we are facing these days. We should know the diet, causes and treatment for gallstones. I found this blog relevant and quite informative for galbladder and gallstones treatment, causes and diet.
My mother operated gallstones one time but again she is facing same problems. I was distressed of emerging gallstones again but this piece of information helped me how to cure on that and what diets should be given to my mother to recover from it. Can it be possible to remove gallstone problem in one go?
I like the blog and all about the gallstones its causes, risk, treatment & diet. Good one!
I have also operated for gallstones since i have not followed proper diet in proper time due to which gallbladder was removed from mine. Now i feel relax but i always follow the diet given in this blog for gallstones treatment. Thanks for the information.
Gallstone is the normal problem we are facing with all most everyone these days due to not following proper diet at suitable time. Your blog helped me lot to know about Causes, Risk, Treatment & Diet of Gallstones and the type of gallstones as my mother is facing the same problem. i will go to doctor for surgery of gallblader for my mother as doctor has referred for it. Thanks.
In today’s era everyone is eating junk foods and have no focus on proper diet due to which we are facing various types of health issues like Gallstones. Thanks for posting such a good post to get us know about the risk, treatment and diet for prevention from Gallstones.
what a wonderful information. I liked the way of describing the gallstones, its causes, risk, treatment and diet. Keep up the good work.
Gallstones are caused due to junk foods, improper diet etc. Since Gallbladder is important for us so we should know the importance of gallbladder and how to be cure from gallstones. The treatment and diet given in this blog is very much useful for us to be cured from gallstones.