Unraveling the Process of Gallstone Formation
Curious about how gallstones form? This video unravels the process of gallstone formation.
Imagine you've just polished off those delectable fries, and now they're making their way through your digestive system. Although they're no longer fries, their high fat content still poses a challenge for absorption. This is where your gallbladder steps in. When you consume fatty foods, your gallbladder is triggered to release bile into your small intestine.
Bile is an amazing substance that plays a crucial role in breaking down fat, improving its absorption by your body. Essentially, your gallbladder's primary function is to store and concentrate bile until it's needed for digestion.
But what exactly comprises this miraculous bile? It's a complex mixture consisting of acids, cholesterol, lipids, proteins, minerals, and a small amount of bilirubin. These components work synergistically to breakdown fats and maintain the smooth operation of your digestive system. When in balance all the components of the bile remain in solution.
Gallstones are these round and solid stones you can find inside your gallbladder. They’re made from the components of bile, and so they’re categorized depending on what they’re made of, the most common ones are cholesterol stones, but there’s also bilirubin stones, which are sometimes called pigmented stones.