Foods Can Cause Gallstone Pain

How to Avoid Gallstones – Eating the Right Foods

Compact clumps of cholesterol, Calcium or bile pigments can start to accumulate into stones within the gall bladder or bile ducting. When these substances crystallise it is this effect which causes gallstones. The crystals cling to a protein fragment and slowly build upon each layer until it becomes a sufficient size to cause the human body problems. Gallstones frequently go unnoticed until such time as they start to cause pain. Symptoms of gallstones range from slight upper abdominal discomfort to significant pain accompanied by vomiting. In the more severe cases surgery is usually required to remove the stones or in extreme cases, the entire gall bladder.

Nevertheless, when sufferers symptoms begin to lessen following the initial instance of pain, a low-fat, high fibre diet can go a long way to act as a preventative measure to ensure the gallstones do not become any larger and the controlling of the diet will also go some way to ensure the body does not form any new gallstones.

It is worth noting that diet alone cannot reduce existing gallstones in terms of their size however, smaller stones may be excreted into the gut. Individuals suffering from gallstones should aim to eat more amounts of starchy foods, such as rice and bread, along with good helpings of fresh fruit and vegetables to obtain the fibre. Avoiding fatty meals and missing mealtimes both of which can bring on an attack, should be avoided and you should also aim to cut down on refined foods excessive fats and red meat.

Recent research has indicated that people who eat meat were twice as likely to have gallstones is their vegetarian counterparts. The report concluded that the higher occurrences of gallstones in the subjects were directly related to the fact that the subjects ate more fat and less starch along with fibre than vegetarians. It is already widely known that high cholesterol levels within the bloodstream can contribute to gallstone formations. High intakes of soluble fibre, helping to reduce blood cholesterol levels, may therefore be beneficial in assisting individuals to prevent the development of gallstones.

Excellent sources of soluble fibre include pulses and oat bran and further research also suggests that cynarin which is compound found in artichokes, may also have a useful effect on gallstones. Interestingly however a moderate consumption of alcohol and caffeine has been linked to lower incidences of people suffering from gallstones.

Technorati Tags: foods can cause gallstone pain