About Your Gallbladder

If you have had your gallbladder removed, there are some things to consider:

Digestive Function:

The liver produces bile and sends it to the gallbladder. Normally, when one consumes a fat of any kind, the gallbladder automatically releases the bile to break down the fat in the large intestines. Your body cannot use this fat until it is emulsified (broken down into smaller droplets and mixed) with everything else you are digesting (an example of something that is emulsified would be fat in a salad dressing).

If the gallbladder is removed, this flow of bile is not regulated, resulting in a constant trickle of bile into the intestines. If one eats a particularly fatty meal, the amount of bile released into the intestines is not increased, therefore the fat is not being fully emulsified. Large globules of fat, that are not necessarily usable by the body, can move into the bloodstream and can become dangerous.

How important fat is to your body’s function:

There are four main ways your body uses fat:

As a source of heat and energy;

As padding and insulation for the organs and nerves;

As a regulator for the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K); and

As a source of the essential fatty acids, which help support the cardiovascular, reproductive, immune, and nervous systems.

Nutrition and Lifestyle suggestions:

Eat 1 tablespoon of lecithin granules with breakfast. (available at Outpost, Whole Foods, or other health food store).

Take one tablet of an ox bile supplement with fatty foods (available at AHHA as “Digestion Essentials”)

Nothing in this document is intended as a substitute for your doctor’s diagnosis and/or treatment. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.