Diet and Gall Stones
We will discuss diet for gall stone prevention and gall stones in general in this article.
Most gall stones are formed from bad cholesterol accumulation, but some gall stones are formed of bile pigments and calcium salts. Many gall stones form within the duct that travels from the liver to the gall bladder. If this duct becomes blocked, jaundice can occur, because fats aren't absorbed properly.
Gall stones are more common in women than in men. Gall stones usually cause severe pain, known as biliary colic, on your upper abdomen, which can sometimes spread to your right shoulder and back, and even cause vomiting and nausea. The severe pain can sometimes be an indication of inflammation or infection of the gallbladder, pancreas or jaundice.
It isn't always too much calcium or cholesterol in the diet that causes gall stones: often, it is how the body processes them. Some people are born with bile ducts that are too narrow, which increases the risk of getting gall stones that can't escape.
Some studies have revealed that those who consume a diet with high amounts of animal fat and sugar and low in fiber, raw fruits and vegetables are most likely to get gallstones. Studies have shown that vegetarians have a very low risk of developing gall stones. If you have gall stones or want to prevent them, following a diet low in fat and high in fiber. The optimum diet contains lots of raw fruits, salads, and vegetables. Lecithin has been shown to homogenize the bad cholesterol in bile and control gall stones. Lecithin and Vitamin E supplements are a great way to control bad cholesterol, along with a good diet and exercise.
It's often recommended that a gall stone diet contian more soluble fiber, which can be found in apples and carrots and a gum found in oat bran and dried beans. Experts recommend this soluble fiber to help bind the bile cholesterol and salts, so less is reabsorbed.
Many recommend that a gall stone diet include walnut, flaxseed, olive oil and oily fish, because these oils help balance the bad cholesterol, as lecithin does. Some studies have indicated that overweight people are more likely to get gall stones, so losing excess weight strongly recommended.
Women taking contraceptive pills are more at risk of getting gallstones.
Lecithin helps homogenize the bad cholesterol, especially in the gall bladder, so lecithin supplements, along with Vitamin E are often advised. Eggs used to be recommended against, because they contain cholesterol, but newer studies are showing that their high levels of lecithin more than offset the cholesterol content.
Your doctor can test you and advise if you have any risk of gallstones, so he is your best place to start. Lecithin helps homogenize the cholesterol in the bile, to prevent gall stone formation, so it, along with vitamin E, and a diet with fewer animal products, like meat and milk, and more raw fruits, salads, and other vegetables can directly reduce the risks of bad cholesterol and gall stones
If you are diagnosed with gallstones, your physician will advise you of the alternative treatments for gallstones. You will have to decide which treatment is best for you. Hopefully, you will have time to consider some of the natural treatments, and won't require surgery because of complications that can't wait.
You may also like to read more about controlling cholesterol, which is part of the gall stone problem, at Cholesterol Healing .com.
This article was written by Jim Krage of Healing Energy News .com.
