The Gallstone Mistake That Leads to SURGERY (700,000 a Year)
Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast
Dr. Eric Berg
4.7 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 16 April 2026
⏱️ 11 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What causes gallstones, and can you get rid of gallstones without surgery? Uncover the real cause of gallstones and gallbladder problems so you can address the issue at the root.
0:00 Introduction: What causes gallstones?
1:02 Gallbladder function
2:41 Gallstone causes
3:37 Bile salts deficiency
4:25 The real cause of gallstones
5:31 How to dissolve gallstones and bile sludge
7:21 Estrogen and gallstones
8:39 Nutrients to support gallbladder health
10:11 Hypothyroidism and gallstones
10:26 Gallbladder pain relief
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Every year, 700,000 people have their gallbladder removed. Many people still deal with the same symptoms or worse after surgery.
The gallbladder stores and concentrates bile, releasing it when needed. Bile is essential for breaking down fats and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins.
Gallstones form when there’s too much cholesterol and not enough bile salts. Bile sludge typically develops first, eventually leading to gallstones. The real cause of gallstones is not producing enough bile to handle cholesterol.
When the gallbladder is removed, you lose the ability to store and concentrate bile. Some people even experience too much bile flow afterward, which can lead to diarrhea.
Dietary fat does not cause gallstones! Low-fat diets are the single greatest triggers of gallstones. Fat actually stimulates bile production.
The real problem is sugar and hidden sugars. High-carb diets increase cholesterol while reducing bile production, raising the risk of gallstones. This is why prediabetics and diabetics are more likely to develop gallstones.
Bile salts can help thin bile sludge and may even support the breakdown of gallstones. TUDCA is especially effective for thinning bile in the ducts, particularly in cases linked to right shoulder pain. Taking bile salts right after eating can also support fat digestion and bile flow.
Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, age 60, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals and author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.
Disclaimer:
Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients, so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, prescription, or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The real reason why you have gallstones. Did you realize that every single year, 700,000 people |
| 0:06.8 | have their gallbladder removed? That is insane. We treat the gallbladder as an extra |
| 0:11.7 | organ that we don't need. But at the end of this video, you're going to have a much greater |
| 0:15.1 | appreciation for your gallbladder what it does and what you need to do to salvage it. |
| 0:20.4 | And unfortunately, a lot of people to get the |
| 0:22.1 | surgery have similar or the same symptoms as before the surgery and sometimes even worse. |
| 0:29.6 | And this video is not about getting you not to get the surgery. It's just giving you all the |
| 0:33.8 | facts of what the gall butter is, what causes a gallstone, and how to prevent them. |
| 0:40.7 | When most people think gallstones, they think the person is eating a lot of greasy foods, |
| 0:48.3 | too much fat, and that fat is triggering a gallstone. That's what they think. High cholesterol |
| 0:53.6 | equals gallstones. That's another thing think. High cholesterol equals gallstones. |
| 0:55.1 | That's another thing that people talk about. But I bet you never heard this. Low fat diets are one of |
| 0:59.9 | the single biggest triggers of gallstones. The gallbladder is a little sack. It hangs down from |
| 1:05.9 | the liver. Your liver makes something called bile. It trickles through these little tubes called bile ducts, and it goes into the gallbladder, |
| 1:14.6 | and the gallbladder actually stores the bile, it concentrates the bile, and it regulates |
| 1:22.6 | how much bile is extracted from the gallbladder into the small intestine. And so it has a purpose. It's not an |
| 1:29.4 | extra organ at all. It's super important in helping you break down fats. Why do we need to break |
| 1:35.5 | down fats? Well, number one, to extract the fat-siable nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin D, |
| 1:41.0 | vitamin E, vitamin K, without bile, we can't extract those key nutrients from our food. |
| 1:47.0 | Also, what about omega-3 fatty acids? That's really important. Without bile, we can't extract that. |
| 1:53.7 | So what the gall butter does is it concentrates the bile to make it a lot stronger. |
| 1:58.6 | So that way, when it's contracted, you have just the right amount of bile to break down |
... |
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