Does being overweight or having obesity increase risk of gallstones?
Does weight loss cause gallstones?
What are Gallstones?
Gallstones are formed when bile stored in the gallbladder hardens to form stone like material. This happens due to too much cholesterol or bilirubin and not enough bile acids or lecithin (substances that allow water and oil based liquids to mix).
Being overweight or having obesity increases risk for developing gallstones.
Although gallstones are common, some factors increase the risk: Being female, older than forty, fertile, being overweight or having obesity, being sedentary, being pregnant, and/or eating a high fat diet.
Being on the higher side for weight can cause higher cholesterol in the bile which can cause gallstones. Also, increase in weight causes gallbladders to enlarge and not work well, which increases the risk of gallbladder symptoms.
Weight loss and Gallstones
When you don’t eat for a long period of time or lose weight fast, your liver releases extra cholesterol into the bile which precipitates as gallstones. Fast weight loss can also prevent the gallbladder from emptying properly which causes gallbladder symptoms.
Is weight cycling a problem?
Weight cycling with losing and gaining increases the risk of gallstones.
Weight loss of 1.5 to 2 pounds per week is a good goal for most people. Modest weight loss not only helps prevent gallstones, it also encourages new habits that prevent weight cycling.
Do GLP-1 Agonists like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound increase risk of gallstones?
GLP-1 medications can delay the emptying of the gallbladder which can cause the bile to become concentrated and lead to the formation of gallstones. Weight loss associated with the medications, especially if rapid, can also put patients at risk of gallstones.
How to prevent gallstones during weight loss?
- Eat a well-rounded diet that’s low in saturated fat
- Drink at least 64-80 ounces of water per day if no other health restrictions
- Consistent physical activity with commitment and discipline, at least a minimum of 150 min/week and up to 300 min/week
- Get at least 7 hours of quality sleep
- Lose weight in a slow consistent manner rather than rapid weight loss
- Avoid crash diets or very low calorie diets