Hello there. I'm Monica Reinagle and this is episode number 576 of the

Nutrition Diva podcast Welcome. Several of you have asked me to devote an episode

to diet and nutrition following gallbladder removal.

This is actually one of the most commonly performed surgeries

and it's getting even more common.

Not only that, but the average age at which this procedure is being performed is trending down.

So there are more and more people running around the world without gallbladders and for longer.

Now the vast majority of people who undergo gallbladder removal do very well and go on to live perfectly normal lives.

But the removal of this digestive organ does have some ongoing implications for your diet and nutrition.

Before we talk about how you might want to adjust your diet following

gallbladder removal, let's talk briefly about why this surgery is getting

more common. First, what is the gallbladder? Well, it's a small sack or pouch that stores

bile. This is a digestive fluid that's produced by your liver. And after you eat, the

stored bile is pumped from the gall bladder

into the small intestine where it helps to break down the fats in your food so that

they can be properly absorbed. Sometimes however gallstones can form in the gallbladder. Now, most

gallstones don't cause any symptoms, but about 20% of the time, they cause abdominal pain,

often pretty sharp and often right after you eat a big meal.

Now if a gallstone were to completely block the biodeuct, it could cause some very serious complications including

inflammation infection even damage to other organs such as the pancreas and that's

why doctors often recommend removing the gallbladder when people have

recurring problems with gallstones. Now women are more likely to suffer from

...