Did you know that women are at increased risk for gallstones?

GALLSTONES - Patients - American College of Gastroenterology:
Gallstones occur in up to 20% of American women by the age of 60. Women between the ages of 20 and 60 years are three times more likely to develop gallstones than men.

Risk Factors for Development of Gallstones
- Multiple pregnancies
- Family history of gallstones
- Hispanic or American Indian heritage
- Obesity
- Rapid loss of weight "

5 Tips on Gallstone Disease from The American College of Gastroenterology

Digestive Health Tips - Patients - American College of Gastroenterology
5 Tips on Gallstone Disease

1- Gallstones typically develop over many years, although they can form in months. Gallstones are present in about 20% of women and 10% of men over the age of 55.

2- There are two basic types of gallstones: cholesterol and pigment. Cholesterol gallstones are the most common type in the United States.

3- About 75% of gallstones do not cause symptoms. The most common symptom caused by gallbladder stones is episodic upper abdominal pain.

4- For healthy patients who have no symptoms, no therapy or change in diet is needed. Patients with uncomplicated symptomatic gallbladder stones should reduce dietary fat and consider surgical removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy). An alternate approach is oral bile acid therapy. For complicated disease, gallbladder removal is warranted.

5- Patients who undergo rapid weight loss are at risk for the development of small cholesterol gallstones and may benefit from bile acid therapy. Gallstones can seldom be prevented, although a low-fat diet may provide some protective benefit.

Maspik Teruzim: A fat Canadian decides to get fitter and healthier in Jerusalem, Israel (Her words, not mine :-)

Maspik Teruzim: Good Byes, Bench Presses and Bombers: "My Gallstones bookmarks file is growing by leaps and bounds. By the time this is finished I'll be able to sketch the human digestive system from memory. Too bad I'm not taking any anatomy courses; I have enough info for three university papers by now. I found this a site that has a explanation of the surgery, with diagrams. Very useful, since I'm one of those people who needs to know every detail of what's going to happen. "
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Links to a cool site with short videos on what to expect if you go for gallbladder surgery.

Maspik Teruzim: A fat Canadian decides to get fitter and healthier in Jerusalem, Israel (Her words, not mine :-)

Maspik Teruzim: Good Byes, Bench Presses and Bombers: "My Gallstones bookmarks file is growing by leaps and bounds. By the time this is finished I'll be able to sketch the human digestive system from memory. Too bad I'm not taking any anatomy courses; I have enough info for three university papers by now. I found this a site that has a explanation of the surgery, with diagrams. Very useful, since I'm one of those people who needs to know every detail of what's going to happen. "
--

Links to a cool site with short videos on what to expect if you go for gallbladder surgery.