{"id":2526,"date":"2019-01-04T07:19:41","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T07:19:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/?p=2526"},"modified":"2021-07-26T13:33:50","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T13:33:50","slug":"10-most-common-gallstone-causes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/10-most-common-gallstone-causes\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Most Common Gallstone Causes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A gallstone is a small stone that form inside the gallbladder. Often these stones are made out of cholesterol. If the gallstones remain little and do not enter into important passageways that lead into and out of the gallbladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a gallstone becomes stuck in one of the ducts of the gallbladder, it can cause a serious amount of pain and discomfort. In addition, if gallstones are not treated a problematic gallstone may lead to jaundice, inflammation, infections, and fever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This could lead to a person being in pain for several hours at a time. If the gallstone is blocking passageways, it may lead to the need to have the gallbladder completely removed. Since gallstones can cause some health issues it is important to try to keep them from developing in the first place, which is why it is important to know what causes them. Here are some of the ten most common causes of gallstones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Excessive Cholesterol<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, gallstones are made of cholesterol<\/a>. These stones will form in the gallbladder when the bile in the body has too much cholesterol. When there is too much cholesterol in the body the chemicals found in the bile that is made by the liver may not be able to dissolve it effectively. When the liver is filled with more cholesterol than it can deal with, it typically will result in gallstones forming. When cholesterol-based gallstones form, they may not present any type of serious health problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is because they often remain small in size and attach to the wall of the gallbladder. However, when one of the gallstones moves and becomes stuck in a sensitive area, such as the duct that leads to the gallbladder, health issues can occur. In order to keep this from happening it is best to limit the cholesterol in your diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Excessive Bilirubin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When the liver produces too much cholesterol for the bile to be able to break down effectively, gallstones may form. However, too much cholesterol is not the only issue. When your bile has too much bilirubin<\/a>, it can have some serious side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bilirubin is created by the body in order to begin the process of breaking down the red blood cells. Often times the body will create too much bilirubin when there is an issue in the liver, such as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis of the liver is often caused by consuming too much alcohol. When your liver is not functioning properly it can affect your gallbladder as well. This includes causing gallstones to form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallstones are not the only health problem that excessive bilirubin can cause. Jaundice occurs when there is too much bilirubin in the blood. Excessive bilirubin may be caused by other conditions as well including blood disorders and biliary tract infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Structural Problems with the Gallbladder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not all issues with the gallbladder, including the development of gallstones can be linked to dietary problems such as excessive consumption of cholesterol or alcohol<\/a>. If the gallbladder has problems functioning, specifically with the emptying process, the result may be the development of gallstones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the problems is that when the gallbladder does not empty normally, the bile that is inside the gallbladder as well as around it can become very concentrated. When this occurs, gallstones may occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gallstones that are created when the bile becomes extremely concentrated can become very large. In fact, they often become large enough to block the entrance to the gallbladder. When this entryway becomes blocked it can lead to all sorts of health issues. This includes jaundice, pain, fever, as well as other serious health complications. If your gallbladder has structural issues, there is not much you can do to avoid gallstones. However, following a gallbladder diet is important to help maintain the gallbladder function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Genetics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another common cause of gallstones is simply genetics<\/a>. Unfortunately, there is not a lot that you can do to avoid this cause of gallstones. If you have family members who have had issues with their gallbladder and the development of gallstones, there is a good chance that you are going to have to deal with these issues as well at some point in your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to help combat the problems that can arise from gallstones, it is important to monitor your diet right away. You should also have conversations regularly with your doctor about the possibility of developing gallstones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eating a healthy diet that is low fat is important if your family has a history of gallbladder problems. In addition, you should limit the amount of alcohol that you drink. Taking these precautions early on can help you avoid problems with your gallbladder in the future for as long as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Age and Sex<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another cause of gallstones that you can do little about is your age and your sex. There are several health conditions that simply target some demographic groups than other groups. For example, an older person is more likely to develop Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not really fair and there is not always a good explanation for why this happens. With gallstones, it just so happens that the group of people who are more likely to experience gallstones are women who are overweight or women who have had children and take birth control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The risk of developing gallstones increases as a person ages as well. After a person reaches the age of 40 the chances of developing gallstones go up. Every adult needs to be aware of the risks of gallstone development. However, women who are over the age of forty, have had children, take birth control, and may be overweight are at the highest risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Obesity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another common reason that people develop gallstones is simply being overweight <\/a>or obese. There are a number of health risks and concerns about being overweight. This includes heart disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in the western world. In addition, a person who is overweight or obese is more likely to develop gallstones as well as other issues with their gallbladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A person who is overweight or obese will often also have high cholesterol. As mentioned, an excess of cholesterol is one of the causes of gallstones. If you have high cholesterol on top of being overweight, your chances of developing gallstones are increased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this being said, losing some weight and lowering your cholesterol can decrease the chances of developing gallstones. However, it is important to lose weight slowly and steadily. The healthiest way to lose weight is to make dietary changes that are healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Rapid Weight Loss<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned losing weight can help reduce the risk of developing gallstones. However, at times when a person sets out to fix their health they make drastic changes suddenly. Making these drastic changes can actually have some unfavorable side effects. When it comes to making healthier choices to lose weight it is important to think slow and steady. Losing a lot of weight quickly is typically what people are looking to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when this happens it could actually increase the risk of developing gallstones. The reason for this is because when the body breaks down fat after rapid weight loss<\/a> or fasting, the liver is going to excrete more cholesterol into the bile. When this occurs, gallstones may develop as a result. If you are overweight and have high cholesterol levels it is important to make changes to your diet. However, you want to do this over time as this is the best way to keep the gallbladder and liver functioning properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Diet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to causes of gallstones it is easy to see how your diet can affect your risk of developing them. As noted, diet plays an important role when it comes to gallbladder function. Eating too many fatty foods or too much cholesterol can both increase your risk of developing gallstones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, a diet that is high in carbs and low in fiber can also cause gallstones to develop. The reason for this is because refined carbs have the bran removed from the grain. The germ and the bran contain many nutrients as well as fiber<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fiber plays an important role in the digestive system as well as in helping to prevent the development of gallstones. This is why it is important to eat a well-balanced diet in order to keep your gallbladder and the rest of the digestive system working the way that it is supposed to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Pregnancy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to growing a human inside of your body there are a lot of side effects and changes that the body goes through. During pregnancy<\/a>, the female body goes through a lot of changes. Fortunately, many of these changes and health conditions only occur while pregnant. When a woman is pregnant the hormones may cause the liver to release more bile. The bile that is produced will typically contain more cholesterol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the gallbladder stops contracting normally, it can cause gallstones to develop. Women who are pregnant need to monitor their health carefully. This includes eating a well-balanced diet. If gallstones form while pregnant it is important that they are carefully monitored by a healthcare professional. If the gallbladder becomes blocked by a gallstone or if there is an infection, it might be necessary to have surgery. The surgery is considered to be safe for both mom and fetus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. Related Conditions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are several health conditions that can increase a person\u2019s risk of developing gallstones as well as other gallbladder issues. Any health condition that impacts the flow of bile from the gallbladder can result in issues with the development of gallstones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of these health issues that can increase the risk of developing gallstones include liver scarring or cirrhosis of the liver, obstetric cholestasis, or primary sclerosing cholangitis. In addition, a person who has irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn\u2019s disease<\/a> are also more likely to struggle with developing gallstones at some point in their life. Since gallstones are made of cholesterol, people who have weight management issues and eat poor diets are also more likely to develop gallstones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you suffer from other health issues especially those that affect the liver, the chances of developing gallstones are going to be increased. For this reason, it is important to make sure that you are making healthy food choices and lifestyle choices in order to lower your risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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