Does having your gallbladder removed cause you to get high cholesterol? What part does your gallbladder play in your cholesterol level?

Nina

The level of cholesterol in your bloodstream really has nothing to do with your gallbladder. Cholesterol comes from two sources: the food we eat and the liver, which manufacturers new cholesterol. The liver also produces bile salts, which are important as part of the digestive process. Both cholesterol and bile salts are found in bile, a liquid that passes from the liver to the intestine through the bile ducts.

Between meals, bile is stored in the gallbladder, which is linked to the main bile duct by a small connection called the cystic duct. When we eat, hormones prompt the gallbladder to contract and deliver bile to the intestine.

Patients who have high cholesterol levels in their bile tend to form small crystals, which eventually develop into gallstones. Gallstones cause no symptoms in most people. However, in some people, they can lead to problems such as cholecystitis (in which the gallbladder becomes inflamed because the cystic duct is blocked) or cholangitis (in which the common bile duct becomes obstructed). The standard treatment for such problems is surgical removal of the gallbladder.

When the gallbladder is removed, the body loses its capacity to store bile between meals. So, both bile acids and cholesterol are released into the intestine continuously. Many patients develop Diarrhea after Gallbladder Surgery 9-13-99diarrhea after gallbladder removal, and some researchers have speculated that the constant flow of bile into the intestine may be the culprit. However, since there is no change in the way the liver handles cholesterol after gallbladder removal, there should be no change in your blood cholesterol level either.