Is there a doctor in the house?

I have heard that people who go on weight loss diets often suffer their first gallbladder attacks. One theory appears to be because of the cut back on fat intake. Apparently, the gallbladder needs to contract often to release its bile which aids in digestion. Fat is what triggers it to spit out the bile. If you are eating low or no fat, the gallbladder doesn't get to do this enough and the stored bile gets sludgy and can form into gallstones. So, down the line when you finally do eat something that triggers a nice gallbladder response, it spits out a stone which can feel uncomfortable as it moves through your biliary tract down to your pancreas/small intestine and out your body. Another possible effect is that if your gallbladder is full of stones that aren't moving, the liver (which produces the bile) has nowhere to send its bile and your liver gets sludgy as well. Stones in the liver are not unheard of.

There are other theories, but this one seems intuitively obvious. If this is the effect of low or no fat in your attempts to lose weight, it seems to me that you could avoid this nasty and unhealthy effect by eating fats, just less of them and making sure they are good fats, e.g., omega 3 foods or olive olive. Keep that gallbladder opening periodically and there should be no trouble, right?

Hi renee,
No doctor but there is a naturopath in the house!!
I think you are pretty much spot on with gallstones and rapid weight loss. A very low calorie diet, or not enough fat in the diet or going to long without meals, such as skipping breakfast causes an increase in cholesterol levels and a decrease in bile salts, which in turn causes a decrease in gall bladder contractions. If the gall bladder does not contract often enough it doesn't empty out and this can cause gallstones.
It doesn't seem to happen to people that lose weight more slowly, over 1.5Kg (3Lbs) per week is the danger area for weight loss.

I think you have a pretty good handle on the problem.
Cheers

Hi John, thanks for the reply.

Any idea what sorts of foods one can ingest to keep bile salts levels at norm?

Thanks!

I think there is research to suggest that yo-yo dieting contributes to gall stones.
I don't think removal of the gall bladder helps with weight loss - if you change
eating habits as a result of the surgery it may help with it. I had the surgery
a few years ago and it did not make any difference.

I started on the Paleo diet and lost weight at about 2 to 3 lbs a week. I felt wonderful and had a lot of energy. I went off the diet for a while and now find that I have a large gallstone. I was eating good fats.

I feel bad and have gain back some weight. However I went on the diet because of acid reflux. Can you recommend something that will help me lose weight, control my acid reflux and help keep me from getting gallstones.

Everything I read so far contains food that I can eat. They all seem to be too high in sugar, too many fruits.

Thanks.