Risk Factors for Gallstones
List of Risk Factors for Gallstones
The list of risk factors mentioned for Gallstones
in various sources
includes:
Gallstones Risk Factors: Book Excerpts
Risk factors discussion:
Dieting and Gallstones: NIDDK (Excerpt)
Overweight people are at greater risk of developing gallstones that people
of average weight. However, people who are considering a diet program
requiring very low intake of calories each day should be aware that during
rapid or substantial weight loss, a person's risk of developing gallstones
is increased.
(Source: excerpt from Dieting and Gallstones: NIDDK)
Dieting and Gallstones: NIDDK (Excerpt)
Why obesity is a risk factor for gallstones is unclear. But researchers
believe that in obese people, the liver produces too much cholesterol. The
excess cholesterol leads to supersaturation in the gallbladder.
(Source: excerpt from Dieting and Gallstones: NIDDK)
Dieting and Gallstones: NIDDK (Excerpt)
People who lose a lot of weight rapidly are
at greater risk for developing gallstones. Gallstones are one of the
most medically important complications of voluntary weight loss. The
relationship of dieting to gallstones has only recently received
attention.
One major study found that women who lost from 9 to 22 pounds (over a
2-year period) were 44 percent more likely to develop gallstones than
women who did not lose weight. Women who lost more than 22 pounds were
almost twice as likely to develop gallstones.
Other studies have shown that 10 to 25 percent of obese people develop
gallstones while on a very-low-calorie diet. (Very-low-calorie
diets are usually defined as diets containing 800 calories a day or less.
The food is often in liquid form and taken for a prolonged period,
typically 12 to 16 weeks.) The gallstones that developed in people on
very-low-calorie diets were usually silent and did not produce any
symptoms. However, about a third of the dieters who developed gallstones
did have symptoms, and a proportion of these required gallbladder surgery.
In short, the likelihood of a person developing symptomatic
gallstones during or shortly after rapid weight loss is about 4 to 6
percent. This estimate is based on reviewing just a few clinical
studies, however, and is not conclusive. (Source: excerpt from Dieting and Gallstones: NIDDK)
Dieting and Gallstones: NIDDK (Excerpt)
Researchers believe dieting may cause a shift in
the balance of bile salts and cholesterol in the gallbladder. The
cholesterol level is increased and the amount of bile salts is decreased.
Going for long periods without eating (skipping breakfast, for example), a
common practice among dieters, also may decrease gallbladder contractions.
If the gallbladder does not contract often enough to empty out the bile,
gallstones may form.
(Source: excerpt from Dieting and Gallstones: NIDDK)
Dieting and Gallstones: NIDDK (Excerpt)
Gallstones are common among obese
patients who lose weight rapidly after gastric bypass surgery. (In gastric
bypass surgery, the size of the stomach is reduced, preventing the person
from overeating.)
One study found that more than a third (38 percent) of patients who had
gastric bypass surgery developed gallstones afterward. Gallstones are most
likely to occur within the first few months after surgery. (Source: excerpt from Dieting and Gallstones: NIDDK)
Smoking and Your Digestive System: NIDDK (Excerpt)
Several studies suggest that smoking may
increase the risk of developing gallstones and that the risk may be higher
for women. However, research results on this topic are not consistent, and
more study is needed.
(Source: excerpt from Smoking and Your Digestive System: NIDDK)
Gallstones: NWHIC (Excerpt)
Risk factors for gallstones include obesity ; a large clinical study
showed that being even moderately overweight increases one's risk for
developing gallstones. This is probably true because obesity tends to
cause excess cholesterol in bile, low bile salts, and decreased
gallbladder emptying. Very low calorie, rapid weight-loss diets, and
prolonged fasting, seem to also cause gallstone formation.
No clear relationship has been proven between diet and gallstone
formation. However, low-fiber, high-cholesterol, high protein diets, and
diets high in starchy foods have been suggested as contributing to
gallstone formation. (Source: excerpt from Gallstones: NWHIC)
Gallstones: NWHIC (Excerpt)
Those who are most likely to develop gallstones are:
-
Women between 20 and 60 years of age. They are twice as
likely to develop gallstones than men.
-
Men and women over age 60.
-
Pregnant women or women who have used birth control pills
or estrogen replacement therapy.
-
Native Americans. They have the highest prevalence of
gallstones in the United States. A majority of Native American men have
gallstones by age 60. Among the Pima Indians of Arizona, 70 percent of
women have gallstones by age 30.
-
Mexican-American men and women of all ages.
-
Men and women who are overweight.
-
People who go on "crash" diets or who lose a lot of weight
quickly.
(Source: excerpt from
Gallstones: NWHIC)
Risks factors for Gallstones: medical news summaries:
The following medical news items
are relevant to risk factors for Gallstones:
About risk factors:
Risk factors for Gallstones are factors that do not seem
to be a direct cause of the disease,
but seem to be associated in some way.
Having a risk factor for Gallstones
makes the chances
of getting a condition higher but does
not always lead to Gallstones.
Also, the absence of any risk factors
or having a protective factor does not necessarily
guard you against getting Gallstones.
For general information and a list of risk factors,
see the risk center.
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