Quick, point to your gallbladder. Half credit if you guessed that it’s somewhere between your hips and your heart. Full credit if you know that this pear-shaped member of your digestive system sits in the upper right abdomen, nestled below your liver.
So, now that the anatomy lesson is over, it’s time to figure out WTH the gallbladder actually does—and how to ensure yours is healthy. Here are eight need-to-know facts:
1. It Helps with Digestion
Your gallbladder stores bile, a goopy liquid produced by your liver to help break down fats. As your stomach begins to digest food, your gallbladder kicks into action, releasing this bile to your small intestine. “The gallbladder just serves as a ‘booster’ when you eat a
meal that is higher in fat,” says Rahul Nayak, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Kaiser Permanente Atlanta. “So the next time you eat fried chicken, mac and cheese, and chase it with some Southern chess
pie, you can thank your gallbladder for not having diarrhea.”
2. Gallstones Are the Most Common Gallbladder Problem
According to some estimates, up to 20 million Americans may have gallstones, the most common type of gallbladder
disorder. Gallstones form when the substances that make up bile (cholesterol, electrolytes, and water to name a few) are out of proportion. The stones, which can be super-painful, range in size from small grains of sand to golf balls.
3. Being a Woman Puts You at a Higher Risk
While the 40+ crowd is most at risk for gallstones, women are more likely to develop them than men, and at a younger age (starting in their thirties), too. Pregnancy and oral contraceptives are major risk factors for developing certain kinds of gallstones due to the extra estrogen in the body. Others include family history, obesity, ethnicity, and also rapid weight loss,
especially from weight-loss surgery. “The mechanism is not clear,” says Nayak, “but theories include a change in the composition of bile.”
4. You May Have Them and Not Even Know It
Gallstones aren't always problematic. They’re often too small to cause a blockage, and you might not even know you have them unless you are doing tests for other medical issues. Even if you do have gallstones, you don’t need to worry about them or have them treated if
they aren’t causing issues.
5. Abdominal Pain Is Your Biggest Sign Something May Be Wrong
Signs that your gallbladder may be getting clogged include indigestion after eating foods high in fat or
protein, severe and sudden pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, or pain under the right shoulder or in the right shoulder blade. If your bile duct gets completely blocked, it can cause nausea and vomiting, fever, jaundice, and
dark urine. While these symptoms may go away once the gallstone moves, complications can arise if the bile duct remains clogged, so it’s important to share your symptoms with your doctor.
6. The Best Defense Is a Good Offense
Want to keep your gallbladder happy? Focus on overall body health by eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising, says Nayak. Limiting your fat intake—especially when it comes to unhealthy fats like saturated and trans fatty
acids–will keep your gallbladder from working overtime. And savor that morning cup of Joe with your avocado toast. “Coffee consumption and increased vegetable-based protein [consumption] also seem to protect against gallstone disease,”
says Nayak.
7. You Can Live Without It
The most common treatment for gallbladder problems is to remove it. Fortunately, you can live without this particular organ. “Since the liver is the source of bile, removing your gallbladder which merely acts as an holding vessel for the bile, doesn’t have any discernable impact on a person’s digestion,” explains Nayak. “The bile in the liver goes directly to the small intestine, bypassing the gallbladder.”
8. Gallbladder Cancer Is Rare but Serious
Although it’s not common, gallbladder cancer has a high mortality rate since it’s not often caught in the early stages. If discovered in Stage 0 or 1, the five-year survival rate runs between 50 to 80 percent. In a later stage, that survival rate drops to single digits.
You’ve heard of the appendix, the organ in our bodies that resides in the lower right abdomen, and seems to serve no real purpose in the body. You’ve heard that even though this organ exists and functions within us, you can live normally without it, and if it bursts—you’re in for emergency surgery to remove it. Similar things can be said about the gallbladder—you can live without it, for example—but the gallbladder has a proven function, and its misfiring can lead to serious and
long-term health complications.
What is a gallbladder?
The gallbladder is an organ located in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, just below the ribcage. It is nestled underneath the liver and is connected to the liver by a duct.
What does a gallbladder do?
Normally shaped like a pear, the gallbladder (unlike the appendix) has many functions. The gallbladder is part of the biliary system, which aids in digesting the food you eat. It stores
bile, the liquid produced by the liver to help break down fats that you eat.
Bile is made up of water and bile salts, which help break down large globs of fat in fatty meals—as well as some cholesterol. It can hold between one to three ounces of bile at a time.
As your stomach digests food, the gallbladder releases bile into your small intestine, ready to help break down the fat in the meal. Bile is produced in the liver and transported into the gallbladder; where it is stored until it’s
time to dump into the small intestine.
Why do I have pain in my gallbladder?
By far, the most common cause of pain in the gallbladder is gallstones. But there are a few more reasons why you could be experiencing pain in the gallbladder:
• Biliary sludge. Bile is made up of water and bile salts, which help break down fat in the body. Sometime this mixture is too thick and clogs up the exit of the gallbladder, preventing healthy bile from leaving the
gallbladder and entering the intestines.
• Inflammation of the gallbladder. Also called cholecystitis, inflammation of the gallbladder can lead to pain and other symptoms like nausea, vomiting and fever.
• Infection of the bile duct. Also called cholangitis, an infection in the common bile duct often caused by gallstones. The gallstones may obstruct healthy bile from leaving the gallbladder, causing an infection.
• Gallbladder
rupture. If this inflammation is too severe, the gallbladder may rupture suddenly, much like the appendix. The gallbladder may also rupture due to a traumatic event, like a vehicle accident. This is very rare and would cause a different type of pain than patients may be used to.
• Biliary dyskinesia. This is a syndrome that occurs when the muscular valve that controls the follow of bile in and out of the gallbladder is now working properly. The bile does not drain
properly and may cause nausea and vomiting.
• Gallbladder disease is referred to as chronic acalculous gallbladder dysfunction. It’s the name for gallbladder disease when gallstones are not present.
• Gallbladder cancer is extremely rare and often not diagnosed until it has progressed for some time. Besides pain, a person with gallbladder cancer may be jaundiced and experience nausea.
How do I know if I have gallstones?
An
estimated 20 million Americans may have gallstones, the most common type of gallbladder disorder. Gallstones are formed in the gallbladder when the bile inside has a higher concentration of cholesterol and bilirubin, causing calcification into hard, small stones inside the gallbladder. They can range in size from a few centimeters to the size of a golf ball.
Gallstones are the most common reason for gallbladder pain as the formation of the gallstones happens very slowly over a period of
time. It’s actually possible to have gallstones and have no symptoms. Pain occurs when a gallstone blocks one of the ducts in the biliary tract, interfering with the gallbladder’s main function.
Signs that your gallbladder may be clogged by a gallstone can mimic other conditions and change if the stone shifts away from the duct, so it’s important to pay attention to how you feel after you eat certain foods. Symptoms include severe and sudden pain underneath the right ribcage, shoulder blade
or shoulder after eating, vomiting and nausea.
When do I get it removed?
The most common treatment for gallbladder pain is removal of the gallbladder itself. Because the liver is the source of the bile and can also store it as needed and release into the intestines, living without a gallbladder is a possibility. The bile simply bypasses the gallbladder completely and gets transferred to the intestines from the liver.
Consulting with a physician is the best way to
determine whether or not your gallbladder needs to be removed. Usually a physician will recommend removal if gallstones are interfering with your body’s ability to digest food normally, or causing a significant amount of pain.
Gallbladder removal surgery is usually an outpatient procedure and can be done laparoscopically or in an open surgery.
How do I avoid gallstones?
Preventing gallstones is certainly possible. There are several things you can do to keep your
gallbladder—and body—healthy:
• Exercise daily
• Eat a balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and spices
• Avoid foods with high saturated fat and cholesterol
• Visit your primary care physician for regular check ups
• If you have gallbladder pain, be sure to get checked out by a doctor.
Because gallstones develop so slowly, you may be able to reduce the number of or reduce the growth of several gallstones, keeping your gallbladder functioning
normally. Unlike your appendix, a gallbladder has many uses. While you can live normally without it, it’s always best to keep prevention in mind when determining lifestyle choices.