4 Ways to Prevent Gallstones
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What Are the Best Ways to Prevent Gallstones?

What Are the Best Ways to Prevent Gallstones?
Everyday Health
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Updated on December 13, 2024
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“Gallstones are often hard, pebble-like deposits of cholesterol that form primarily in the gallbladder,” says Roy Tomás DaVee, MD, a gastroenterologist at UTHealth in Houston. Sometimes, these gallstones — which can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball — can block the bile ducts. Bile ducts are the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine. When that happens, it can cause what’s known as a gallbladder attack (or biliary colic), which can cause intense pain in the abdomen.

“The more gallstones a person has, and the bigger they are, the higher the risk of developing a gallbladder attack,” says Dr. DaVee.

While there are treatments for gallstones, “it’s even better to try to prevent them, because they can lead to cholecystitis (an infection of the gallbladder), liver disease, and, in rare cases, gallbladder cancer,” says Babak Firoozi, MD, a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.

This can be even more important for people who are at risk for gallstones — namely:

  • Women age 20 to 50
  • Men age 60 and older
  • People with obesity
  • People of Native American or Mexican descent, who may be genetically prone to developing gallstones

Here are a few strategies to try — from adding more fiber to your diet to cutting back on your saturated fat intake to increasing your physical activity, among other habits.

Healthy Eating to Prevent Gallstones

The typical Western diet — one that’s low in fiber and high in refined sugars and fat — has been linked to the prevalence of gallstones.

“More specifically, low fiber intake can increase the production of bile acids in the body, which can lead to gallstone formation. Similarly, eating too much fat, particularly saturated and trans fats, may also predispose people to gallstones,” says DaVee.

You can find saturated fats in foods like beef, butter, and pork.

 Trans fats are often present in high quantities in foods like margarine and processed foods such as cakes, cookies, and frozen pizzas.

On the other hand, a high-fiber diet, alongside healthier fats — including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — can help prevent gallstones. Good food sources of fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, such as brown rice and oats.

You can find healthy fats in fish such as salmon or mackerel, as well as nuts and olive oil, both of which have been shown to protect against gallstones.

“Some researchers think that eating a plant-predominant or plant-based diet reduces your risk of gallstones,” says DaVee. “Those diets tend to be lower in saturated fats than the standard American Diet … of which, a significant portion is processed foods and animal products. We also lack enough fruits and vegetables, which provide fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals.”

Proper portion sizes at each meal can also help you maintain a moderate body weight — which is important, since overweight and obesity are among the main causes of gallstones.

Exercise to Prevent Gallstones

Research shows that physical activity has been shown to lower the risk of gallbladder disease, including gallstones.

 Exercise can help lower your levels of the hormone insulin, which helps the body regulate blood sugar. Too much insulin increases cholesterol absorption in the liver and releases more cholesterol into the bile. Being active can also help keep your blood cholesterol levels in check.

Aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week (30 minutes a day, five times a week, for example) alongside two days per week of resistance-based strength training, like lifting weights.

Weight Loss to Prevent Gallstones

Alongside overweight or obesity, weight that happens too quickly, such as through very low calorie diets (or crash diets) or weight loss surgeries, can also increase the risk of gallstones.

“People who have gastric bypass surgery or have gastric sleeve surgery are at an increased risk of developing gallstones, particularly when they lose a lot of weight,” says DaVee. “That’s because when you lose weight rapidly, your liver releases more cholesterol into the bile.”

If you’re having weight loss surgery, your doctor may recommend you take a medication called ursodiol (Actigall), which can prevent gallstone formation in people who are losing weight very quickly. In general, it’s best to stick to slow-and-steady weight loss — for example, losing 5 to 10 percent of your starting weight over six months.

Lifestyle Adjustments to Prevent Gallstones

It’s unclear whether smoking increases your risk of developing gallstones. Some studies have shown a link between the two while others haven’t. That said, some more recent research has found that people who’ve smoked at some point in their lives are about 25 percent more likely to develop gallbladder disease, including gallstones.

“One thing that is pretty clear is that smoking increases your risk of not only lung cancer, but also stomach cancer, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it increases your risk of gallbladder cancer as well,” DaVee advises.

It’s also not clear whether drinking alcohol can increase the risk of gallstones. “It’s somewhat controversial,” says DaVee, with some studies showing that it may, in fact, lower the risk of gallstones.

One study, for example, found that moderate alcohol consumption linked to a lower risk of gallstones, possibly because alcohol may cause less cholesterol to be released into the bile.

 That said, DaVee doesn’t recommend anyone start drinking to prevent gallstones.

Supplements and Complementary Medicine for Gallstones

Some research has found that omega-3s — a type of healthy fat — can help lower the risk of gallstones, possibly because it may reduce the levels of arachidonic acid in the bile fats, which research has linked to gallstones forming.

 You can find omega-3s in supplement form (often marketed as fish or krill oil), but they’re also found in fish like salmon and mackerel, as well as flax (linseed) and chia seeds.

While research is limited, one older study found that taking a vitamin C supplement linked to lowered risk of gallstones. In the study, only 4.7 percent of people who took vitamin C supplements had gallstones compared with 8.2 percent of people who didn’t take vitamin C supplements.

Historically, people have used milk thistle (Silybum marianum) to treat gallbladder disease, but there’s currently no research to show its effectiveness in treating gallstones.

When to Seek Medical Advice for Gallstones

Most of the time, gallstones don’t block the bile ducts, and therefore, don’t cause any symptoms. Medical professionals call these “silent gallstones.” Silent gallstones don’t require treatment. But when gallstones block the bile ducts, it causes bile to build up in the gallbladder, which can cause a gallbladder attack. These symptoms include:

  • Pain in the abdomen (which can often last a few hours)
  • Pain that radiates to the back and right shoulder, especially after meals
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Fever or chills
  • Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes)
  • Tea-colored urine and light-colored stools
To determine whether you’re having a gallbladder attack, a doctor may perform a physical exam along with the following diagnostic tests:

  • Blood tests to check for signs of infection or inflammation in the bile ducts or gallbladder
  • An ultrasound, which can create an image of the gallbladder, including evidence of any gallstones present
  • A CT scan, which can create an image of the gallbladder and bile ducts, including evidence of any gallstones present
  • An MRI test, which can also create images of the biliary ducts as well as images of gallstones themselves, if any are present

“Once you’ve had one gallbladder attack, you’ll likely keep experiencing them, so you’ll probably need to have your gallbladder removed to prevent them from happening in the future. You may also need to have your gallbladder removed if you have a gallstone that’s more than 3 centimeters in size, as this can increase the risk of gallbladder cancer,” says Dr. Firoozi.

The gallbladder can be removed with a surgical procedure called a cholecystectomy. Since the gallbladder isn’t an essential organ, you can live normally without it.

The Takeaway

  • Gallstones can cause a painful gallbladder attack, which may require surgery, but there are ways to help prevent stones from forming.
  • Eat less saturated fat (which is found in animal products, such as meat) to help prevent gallstones.
  • Increased physical activity may help prevent gallstones. Aim for 150 minutes of exercise a week.
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Ira Daniel Breite, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He is an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he also sees patients and helps run an ambulatory surgery center.

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Maria Masters is a contributing editor and writer for Everyday Health and What to Expect, and she has held positions at Men's Health and Family Circle. Her work has appeared in Health, on Prevention.com, on MensJournal.com, and in HGTV Magazine, among numerous other print and digital publications.

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