Gallstones: A little dietary fat reduces the risk of gallstones during a very-low calorie diet

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Tuesday, September 07, 2004 9:56 am Email this article
A meal containing 10 grams of dietary fat dramatically reduces the risk of gallstones during a very-low calorie diet according to a recent study. Rapid weight loss increases the risk of gallstones

Rapid weight loss increases the risk of cholesterol gallstones because the bile is saturated with cholesterol, and because the gallbladder is relatively inactive, in other words, it does not empty its contents.

A meal containing 10 grams of fat reduces the risk of gallstones

However, giving people a meal once a day containing 10 grams of dietary fat was found to maximize emptying of the gallbladder and reduce the risk of gallstones.

Gallstones when eating only 2 grams of fat per day: Two-thirds of people got gallstones

Four out of six people (67 percent) on a very-low calorie diet of 520 calories per day, containing only 2 grams of fat, got gallstones.

Gallstones when eating one meal with 10 grams: No one got gallstones

However, zero out of seven people (0 percent) on a very-low calorie diet of 900 calories per day, including one meal containing 10 grams of fat, got gallstones.

In other words, eating one meal containing at least 10 grams of dietary fat seems to dramatically reduce the risk of gallstones during rapid weight loss.

REFERENCE

Gebhard R, Prigge W, Ansel H, Schlasner L, Ketover S, Sande D, Holtmeier K, Peterson F. The role of gallbladder emptying in gallstone formation during diet-induced rapid weight loss. Hepatology. 1996 Sep, 24(3):544-48.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

R. Gebhard
Department of Medicine
Minneapolis VA Medical Center
Minneapolis , MN, USA

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