Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
Most people know someone who has had gallbladder
issues. It is a common ailment causing
many digestive problems from indigestion, heartburn and abdominal discomfort to
vomiting, diarrhea and severe pain.
The gallbladder stores bile produced by your liver, and
regulates the release of bile into the digestive tract, as needed. Bile
emulsifies the fat we eat for better absorption in the bowel. It is the same
mechanism for why we use soap detergent to clean greasy dishes. Without soap
emulsifying the fat, it would never come off the dishes, right? The same goes
for the bowel; unless the fat we eat is broken down, it is not absorbed and
used to fuel our bodies. You are wrong if you think this sounds like a good diet
plan; we need essential fats for fuel. In fact, most people should be eating
more good fats to lose weight and for better health.