Bile Salts After Gallbladder Surgery

Bile Salt Supplements after Gallbladder Removal

Your body is quite economical when it comes to bile. Around 95 percent of your bile acids get reabsorbed in the last bit of your small intestine and returned to the liver for reuse, which is what we call “enterohepatic circulation.” With no gallbladder, the process of enterohepatic circulation goes on uninterrupted, but there’s no place to store and concentrate the bile in the time between meals.

How does bile work after gallbladder removal?

The gallbladder plays a key role in digestion of fats. Here’s how: bile acids are produced from cholesterol in your liver and then flow into your gallbladder, where they are stored until any fat you have eaten moves into the small intestine. The gallbladder then releases the bile to emulsify the fat - making it easier to absorb. However, if your gallbladder is removed, there is no storage place for bile, so there may not be enough bile when needed, which is why some people look at a bile supplement after gallbladder removal.

How Bile Salt Supplements Support Recovery & Digestion

The failure of your body to release bile when needed decreases your body’s ability to properly digest fat and eventually leads to deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids. Some problems that can arise include:

• • Skin disorders
• • Vision and eye problems (cataracts)
• • Fatty tumors
• • Bruising
• • Strokes
• • Atherosclerosis

How to Avoid Gallbladder Issues After Removal

Timing is key. Because bile salts are meant to mimic the normal release of bile with food, they should be taken with fatty meals. Here are some general guidelines for people with no gallbladder: • Take bile salt tablets with meals, rather than on an empty stomach. • Follow the instructions on the bottle of your bile salts supplement after gallbladder removal, or use the dosage recommended by your health care provider. • Eat small meals at first. You can increase the amount gradually as tolerated. • Include fiber in your diet. Reduce the dosage or pause bile salt therapy if your stools become loose, and consult your health care provider.

Do bile salts help with no gallbladder?

To help with these issues, supplementing with bile salts after gallbladder removal may be worth considering. When taken with meals, bile salts after cholecystectomy may help support digestion and assimilation of fats, and take some pressure off the liver. Along with dietary supplements like bile salts post gallbladder removal, diet can also go a long way to making you feel better. Beets, artichokes and sauerkraut are some foods that also help promote bile production and stimulate bile flow.

Learn More About Bile Salt Supplements

If you're interested in learning more about bile salts for no gallbladder, call us at 1-800-869-9159 to discuss which supplement may be a good fit for you. Some of our bile support supplements are featured here, as well.

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Ox Bile vs Bile Salts

Recently, I've had a number of people ask me if there's a difference between labels like ox bile, bile salts and bile acids. Are they all just different ways of saying the same thing? Well, close but no. Bile acids are produced in the liver from cholesterol. The two main ones are cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid. Bile salts are bile acids that have been bound by the liver with either glycine or taurine. That binding process increases their solubility in water, allowing them to emulsify fat into micelles for absorption. Ox bile is simply bile taken from cattle and dried. That's the most common source of bile salts for supplements, though, including many bile acid supplements after gallbladder removal. Thus, ox bile is just a source. What you want is bile salts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are bile salts safe?

For most people, taking bile salts with food at the recommended doses found on the product label is safe. Diarrhea or loose stools may occur, particularly at higher doses or in those who experience diarrhea after surgery. Talk to your doctor before taking bile salts if you have a bile duct disorder or liver disease, if you're taking any prescription drugs, or if you're pregnant or breastfeeding.

Can I have salt after gallbladder removal?

Usually, yes. They’re two completely different things. Your liver produces bile salts for digestion. Table salt is sodium chloride. Having your gallbladder removed usually does not mean that you need to avoid salt, so just follow your physician’s standard advice for sodium intake.

Is ox bile the same as bile salts?

Not quite. Ox bile is made from the dried bile of cows, and is one of the more common sources of bile salts used in supplements. It's bile salts that do all the heavy lifting in there. Some products may use ox bile, some may use only purified bile salts, while others may combine the two.

Do I need to take bile salts after gallbladder removal?

People often ask us who should take bile salts. The most common scenario is someone who no longer has a gallbladder, and they're finding that heavier, higher-fat foods aren't sitting well. They have no gallbladder, which is the storage sac for bile, so now the bile just comes slowly and continuously, not concentrated with a meal. And bile salts aren't for everyone. Talk with your doctor first if you: - Have frequent loose stools or diarrhea since surgery - Have a known bile duct problem or liver condition - Take prescription medications - Are pregnant or nursing When people ask us about the best bile salts supplements for no gallbladder, our answer is simple. Which one is the best for you will depend on what you eat, the symptoms you have and what your doctor tells you.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.