Do you have trouble with constipation? Are you worried about high cholesterol? Do you get pain in your G.I. tract or watery diarrhea after you eat high fat foods like cream sauces or fried foods? Have you lost a lot of weight in a short period of time?
If you are suffering from any one of these, you may have a gallbladder and/or bile issue. You may have lost your gallbladder altogether. The gallbladder is a large sac that stores bile (which has been made in the liver) and releases it under the direction of a hormone known as CCK (cholecystokinin).
So what is bile? Why is bile important?
Bile is a digestive secretion made by the liver designed to help make the fats you eat available to use in the body. To make bile, the liver takes all the chemical poisons we eat and breathe and puts molecules on them to “detoxify” them into something not harmful to the body. As a byproduct of detoxification, the liver makes bile that is delivered to your gallbladder and released in the small intestine. Bile contains bile acids, cholesterol and immunoglobulins (which are part of the immune system which help fight infection). When bile gets built up and is not released properly, it becomes “sludge” and then stones can form in the gallbladder (gallstones). Studies show that taking bile salts can prevent loss of the gallbladder.
Bile has many jobs as a digestive secretion, and:
- Is critical for the absorption of fats and helps make fats you eat ready for use in the body
- Helps make bad bacteria and endotoxins created in the G.I. tract harmless to the body
- Helps produce neurotransmitters by making taurine, an amino acid which is very important in the development of dopamine, the neurotransmitter often called the “Happy Hormone.”
Bile acids also helps the body to release cholesterol, and many times people can have a high total cholesterol from not making and/or not releasing enough bile. There are prescription drugs made with bile acids that are used to treat high cholesterol.
Because bile is slippery like soap it keeps digestion and feces moving along. When fats are not absorbed because of lack of bile, the stool fills with water before it is eliminated (causing watery diarrhea). Studies show that some of the contents have a mild laxative effect.
Bile is Very Important Because It Absorbs Fats into the Body
Many people don’t understand the importance of fats. Fats are the major component of every cell membrane, myelin sheath which surrounds the nerves, brain, and eyes. Cholesterol is a type of fat that is transformed into your hormones like Testosterone, DHEA, Progesterone and Estrogen. These are some of your body’s major communicators that help us feel good, build muscles, reproduce and much more. Bile helps your body use the fat in a productive and healthy way.
To learn how to make your bile flow better (and those absorb fats into your body better) or see if you have a gallbladder issue, take our questionnaire on bile and the gallbladder CLICK HERE.
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