Eating LOW FAT Leads To Serious Gall Bladder Problems!

[amethyst]

Years ago when Lowfat/Fatfree was all the rage, I ate very low fat. After about 2yrs. had my first gallbladder attack. I tried "natural remedies" but after two more years (still low fat) ended up with acute pancreatitis and a diseased gallbladder. Had my gallbladder removed. I have always wondered what caused the problem in the first place.

Your story is the same one I have read about in my research over and over again in regards to a very low fat diet. I had pain in my gallbladder due to eating very low fat. I probably developed gallstones. This is a common thing that doctors and the diet industry do not tell you can happen.

 

[amethyst]

The gallbladder is not an essential organ, which means a person can live normally without a gallbladder. Once the gallbladder is removed, bile flows out of the liver through the hepatic and common bile ducts and directly into the duodenum, instead of being stored in the gallbladder.

Gallstones | NIDDK


.

You sound just like the typical doctor who emphasizes removing one's gallbladder rather than encouraging someone to keep theirs. I disagree with your saying the gallbladder is not an essential organ. We were born with one for a reason. It's part of our anatomy. You stating that people can live normally without a gallbladder is totally incorrect. The research I've read says quite the contrary. Many people have numerous and serious problems after their gallbladders are removed. The medical industry will not tell you that. Gallbladder surgery is one of the most common surgeries done today. People still develop stones in their bile ducts after their gallbladders are removed and have to have them surgically removed. Or they are given drugs to reduce the size of their stones. Many who have had their gallbladders removed, develope pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer as a result of their surgeries. They have irritable bowel syndrome and all sorts of digestive complications.The list goes on and on.

Your statement saying the gallbladder is not an essential organ is truly laughable because of it's ignorance!

 

[Giraffe]

Peat has repeatedly mentioned that some saturated fat in the diet is protective for various reasons, and I have read quite a few testimonials from people that developed gallbladder or other problems when going very low fat, while others say they feel best when eating very low fat. The lower you go on fat, the more of a challenge it can become to get enough calories and proteins, and some need the protective effects of a little saturated fats in their diet.

I think that the article linked in the original post is crap. The three studies linked there as "studies of extreme low fat diets" in fact are studies with extremely low calorie intake (< 600 kcal/day), and if you look up PubMed, rapid weight loss quite often is mentioned as a risk factor for developing gallstones.

A third study compared an extremely low fat diet with a diet slightly higher in fat during 3 months. More than one in two (6 of 11 people) in the group eating extremely low fat developed new gallstones. Nobody in the group eating more fat did.

Here the ones with the higher fat intake still only got 12.2 grams per day, but there were two other differences between the groups: The higher fat group got a little more calories and they got more protein (55 g vs. 44.4 g).

But you need fat in order to "contract" the gallbladder.

I think this is not true. A supplement that can induce vivid gallbladder contractions in some individuals is taurine. For me it did it very reliably for a while; that effect wore off later.

Gallbladder dynamics in response to various meals: is dietary fat restriction necessary in the management of gallstones? - PubMed - NCBI

We conclude that the gallbladder dynamics in response to various meals are independent of a meal's fat content.

 

[amethyst]

" We conclude that the gallbladder dynamics in response to various meals are independent of a meal's fat content. "



i was just going through a bunch of studies and gallbladder disease correllates well with the high estrogen/low thyroid state
the more BF% the higher the risk , women on birth control much higher risk .. high FFA , diabetes , no excercise , stressful enviroment etc

I dont think i found one study that clearly stated that eating low fat with other factors controlled led to gallbladder disease or stones.

Maybe you are looking in the wrong places because my research has shown that too low of fat in the diet can lead to serious gall bladder issues. Let us know, after you have been doing your very low fat for a long time, how your gallbladder is doing in the future.

 

[Giraffe]

The gallbladder is not an essential organ, which means a person can live normally without a gallbladder.

This has been discussed before.
Endotoxin And Fat Consumption

 

[Peata]

When I was dieting four years ago, I read some warnings online and from personal experience of someone in diet forums that eating too low fat/too few calories during dieting could trigger gall bladder problems. They didn't seem to have a problem with their gallbladder while they were overweight, it was during the restricting and active weight-losing period that the gallbladder flared up.

I've had gallbladder problems and noticed the worst symptoms during these times: drinking a lot of wine, losing weight/dieting, high estrogen during cycle.

 

[amethyst]

Peat has repeatedly mentioned that some saturated fat in the diet is protective for various reasons, and I have read quite a few testimonials from people that developed gallbladder or other problems when going very low fat, while others say they feel best when eating very low fat. The lower you go on fat, the more of a challenge it can become to get enough calories and proteins, and some need the protective effects of a little saturated fats in their diet.

I think that the article linked in the original post is crap. The three studies linked there as "studies of extreme low fat diets" in fact are studies with extremely low calorie intake (< 600 kcal/day), and if you look up PubMed, rapid weight loss quite often is mentioned as a risk factor for developing gallstones.

Here the ones with the higher fat intake still only got 12.2 grams per day, but there were two other differences between the groups: The higher fat group got a little more calories and they got more protein (55 g vs. 44.4 g).


I think this is not true. A supplement that can induce vivid gallbladder contractions in some individuals is taurine. For me it did it very reliably for a while; that effect wore off later.

Gallbladder dynamics in response to various meals: is dietary fat restriction necessary in the management of gallstones? - PubMed - NCBI

Everything I've read says that one needs *some* fat to contract the gallbladder. What percentage of fat that is, I don't know. But very low fat is problematic. You mentioned taurine as helpful for contractions of the gallbladder. I don't know if that is true or not. I haven't researched it. Does anyone know if taurine has fat in it? I did read taurine occurs naturally in fish and meat and both those have fat in them.

 

[amethyst]

Peat has repeatedly mentioned that some saturated fat in the diet is protective for various reasons, and I have read quite a few testimonials from people that developed gallbladder or other problems when going very low fat, while others say they feel best when eating very low fat. The lower you go on fat, the more of a challenge it can become to get enough calories and proteins, and some need the protective effects of a little saturated fats in their diet.

I think that the article linked in the original post is crap. The three studies linked there as "studies of extreme low fat diets" in fact are studies with extremely low calorie intake (< 600 kcal/day), and if you look up PubMed, rapid weight loss quite often is mentioned as a risk factor for developing gallstones.

Here the ones with the higher fat intake still only got 12.2 grams per day, but there were two other differences between the groups: The higher fat group got a little more calories and they got more protein (55 g vs. 44.4 g).


I think this is not true. A supplement that can induce vivid gallbladder contractions in some individuals is taurine. For me it did it very reliably for a while; that effect wore off later.

Gallbladder dynamics in response to various meals: is dietary fat restriction necessary in the management of gallstones? - PubMed - NCBI

I know when I was under eating and dieting myself down to an unhealthy weight/size for my job as a model, I did at times experience euphoria and a feeling of lightness, since my digestive burden was not overloaded. That felt great. But I was also constipated too at times from the lack of fat. I paid a price for that because I developed pain in my gallbladder and digestive problems as a result. Now I eat more fat, and more calories, and I feel loads better than when I was eating very low fat.

 

[Giraffe]

You mentioned taurine as helpful for contractions of the gallbladder. I don't know if that is true or not. I haven't researched it. Does anyone know if taurine has fat in it? I did read taurine occurs naturally in fish and meat and both those have fat in them.

Taurine is a simple amino acid. It is needed to form bile salts. Some here use it as a supplement: some have very good results, others note nothing.

 

[amethyst]

Taurine is a simple amino acid. It is needed to form bile salts. Some here use it as a supplement: some have very good results, others note nothing.

Yes I know it is an amino acid. Just wondering if it has fat in it. I am not a doctor or have a scientific background. Wondering what is the mechanism exactly as to what it is about fat and or taurine, that causes the gallbladder to contract. Because clearly, the fat is what is stated is needed, which I have read about several times.

 

[amethyst]

Having a gallbladder is so 2016..

This will lead to gallbladder problems with all the movie butter popcorn

 

[amethyst]

no mention of caffeine/coffee in this thread

I think I read coffee is supposed to be good for the gallbladder

 

[Giraffe]

Yes I know it is an amino acid. Just wondering if it has fat in it. I am not a doctor or have a scientific background. Wondering what is the mechanism exactly as to what it is about fat and or taurine, that causes the gallbladder to contract. Because clearly, the fat is what is stated is needed, which I have read about several times.

I think that there are more hormones/mechanisms that stimulate gallbladder contraction than the cholecystokinin (CKK). See: Luminal cholecystokinin and gastrin cause gallbladder contraction. - PubMed - NCBI and Gastrin#Release.

I don't know what the mechanism was in me. Haidut mentioned that taurine stimulates bile acid production. When I started to experiment with taurine, it was relaxing, and I felt that it stimulated the fascia to work in some parts of my body. (In my experience you need to be very relaxed for that to happen, and the result is always positive.) And thinking about it... The first time I used it, I had a blood sugar crash, so I made sure to have it with some food or not too long after a meal when I tried it. So I guess, I had some fat with/around it.

 

[Atalanta]

The gallbladder does not produce bile, the liver does. The gallbladder stores the bile. Bile is helpful for fat digestion, but thats not its sole function, for example, it ( bile ) is the vehicle the body uses to rid itself of bilirubin, which is produced irregardless of fat intake. Gallbladder trouble typically stems from hypothyroidism and estrogen. People who consume too much fat complain much more often about gallbladder trouble than lowfat people. Google " atkins gallbladder " the results are overwhelming.

I developed gallbladder trouble for the first time in my life when I started ingesting fat from milk, cheese, and beef/lamb.
The less fat I eat the fewer problems.
I have not had any problems with my gallbladder since following a high-carb, very low-fat, starch-based diet for almost 2 years now.

 

[Atalanta]

Yeah, but what leads to people having gallbladder problems in the first place is not eating any fat. Or very little of it. And most people are doing that to lose weight. But they go about it the wrong way. I know when I was starving my self on no /little fat I did get more clogged up so this might be the issue as to why fat is important. The fat is important for pooping

Not true.
A low-fat diet does not have to be a starvation diet.
I eat very low-fat and I am definitely not starving and I no longer have trouble with my gallbladder.
Low fat, whole-food, plant based diet is the BEST for pooping, LOL.

 

[Atalanta]

I agree. Too much fat AND not enough fat are both bad for your gallbladders and digestion. There has to be a happy medium. Edit: And the "type" of fat as well. But most Peaters already know that.

The body adapts to a low fat diet and over time, produces less bile. The more fat one eats, the more bile is necessary to emulsify the fat.
I personally have not yet reached the point where too little fat has harmed my digestion or gallbladder, even after two years of eating very low fat.

 

[Luann]

A few thoughts. Glyphosate is not Round Up, it is put out by Roundup brand.
Guaranteed no one in that study at the beginning of this thread (Gallstones and Low Carb) ate 1g of fat a day. 1000 calories of potato is almost 3 grams of fat. 1000 calories of rice is 2 grams of fat. 1000 calories of apples is 3 grams of fat, and people need more than 1000 calories a day - so unless these subjects were eating soda for their meals, they had more than a gram of fat a day.
Denise Minger talked about how the Low-Fat trend through the 80's never worked for weight loss because people didn't understand what low fat really meant, they would skip the burger but eat pasta, which has plenty of fat (MUFA). Or swap red meat for pork. This is a prime example of this.

 

[Westside PUFAs]

I disagree with your saying the gallbladder is not an essential organ. We were born with one for a reason. It's part of our anatomy.

We're also born with an appendix, tonsils, wisdom teeth and many other useless things. It's called human vestigiality.

Your statement saying the gallbladder is not an essential organ is truly laughable because of it's ignorance!

Not sure why you're allowed to keep breaking the forum rules by putting me down.

.

 

[amethyst]

We're also born with an appendix, tonsils, wisdom teeth and many other useless things. It's called human vestigiality.

Your statement comparing wisdom teeth and tonsils to the gallbladder: Yes, laughable. Guess you didn't read my comments how my research (which was stated several times in the thread) has shown that when people have their gallbladders removed, they have many, many health issues. But conveniently, you chose to ignore those comments.

My quote:

Your statement saying the gallbladder is not an essential organ is truly laughable because of it's ignorance!

Your statement:

Not sure why you're allowed to keep breaking the forum rules by putting me down.

My response:

I didn't insult you. Your "statement" was ignorant. The gallbladder is a very essential organ. And I didn't break any forum rules. If you can't handle someone disagreeing with your statements on a forum, maybe you shouldn't comment here.

 

[SaltGirl]

No matter the level of fatty acids in my diet I still had issues with the gallbladder. My gallbladder issues started when I got HRT(so I personally link this issue to estrogen).

What cured my gallbladder(and now I haven't had an attack in over a year) is to take high dose Vitamin C on a regular basis. Apparently high estrogen depletes Vitamin C.

Hell, when I feel my gallbladder acting up I take large dose of Vitamin C(1-2 gram, mostly 1 gram) the growing pain disappears like magic after 15 minutes.