Weight and gallstones

People who are overweight are much more likely to form gallstones than those who are lean, says Michael D. Myers, M.D., a physician in private practice in Los Alamitos, California. ‘For every 0,45kg of fat you have in your body, you produce about ten milligrams of cholesterol,’ Dr Meyers explains.

So together with reducing the amount of high fat foods that you are consuming, it’s a good idea to add more fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains to your diet since these foods are the cornerstone of any weight loss plan.

Even though losing weight can help prevent gall stones, losing too much, too fast can have the opposite effect because it causes cholesterol levels in the gallbladder to rise, Dr Meyers says. In addition, if you seriously cut back on the amount of food you eat, your gallbladder will naturally be less active, permitting stone-forming sludge to accumulate.

If you’re counting calories, staying in the range of 1 000 to 1 200 calories a day will help you lose weight, without making you more prone to stones, says Dominic Nompleggi, M.D., support service at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre in Worcester.

 

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