With the high incidence of many diseases, health preservation has always been a hot topic. There are many health-preserving people, ranging from old people in their 70s and 80s to young people in their twenties. However, on the road to health preservation, some people tend to go astray, which not only fails to maintain health, but may also lead to disease.
Case
Ms. Zheng, a 36-year-old woman in Changsha, has been a vegetarian because she heard that eating too much meat is not good and she has strict requirements on body shape. She may only eat meat once or twice a month.
Unexpectedly, during the physical examination, Ms. Zheng was found to have gallstones. What's even more exaggerated is that after the operation, the doctor removed about hundreds of stones from her gallbladder , which really shocked Ms. Zheng.
Although frightened, Ms. Zheng was also a little confused: How could she get gallstones even though she has been a vegetarian for a long time? And with so many gallstones, why don’t they have any symptoms? If it is not checked out, can it be left alone? Today, Keke is here to talk to you about gallstones.
1
Will long-term vegetarianism
cause gallstones?
Under normal circumstances, lecithin , bile acids, cholesterol , bile pigments and other components in bile are dissolved in bile, just like salt is dissolved in water, and are in a balanced state.
If the balance is broken, these substances cannot be completely dissolved, and the excess will crystallize and form gallstones. For example, if cholesterol is oversaturated, it will crystallize to form cholesterol stones; if bile pigment is oversaturated, it will combine with calcium to form bile pigment calcium stones.
So, will long-term vegetarianism break this balance and lead to the occurrence of gallstones?
Theoretically, fatty foods can stimulate the body to produce cholecystokinin , promoting gallbladder contraction and bile excretion. But if you are a vegetarian for a long time, there will not be enough fatty foods to stimulate the contraction of the gallbladder, and the discharge of bile will be reduced, resulting in cholestasis and an increased risk of stones.
Especially in summer, a large amount of water is lost in the human body and bile is concentrated. Long-term vegetarians are more likely to develop gallstones.
2
These bad habits
are also risk factors for gallstones
The occurrence of gallstones is also closely related to daily habits.
1 Long-term "three high" diet
The "three high" diet here refers to: high fat, high sugar, and high carbohydrate.
Long-term high-fat diet and excessive cholesterol intake will exceed the body's load, which will easily precipitate in the gallbladder to form gallstones. In addition to fatty meats and fried foods, you should also be wary of "fake vegetarian dishes" (such as fried eggplant, leek boxes, etc.), avocados and other foods with high fat content.
For those who eat high-sugar and high-carbohydrate diets for a long time, excess calories will be converted into fat in the body, causing obesity. On the one hand, obesity will increase the production of endogenous cholesterol (for every 10kg of adipose tissue, cholesterol synthesis increases by about 200mg); on the other hand, the content of phospholipids and bile acids in the bile of obese people will also change, making it easier for cholesterol to be supersaturated and precipitated. , forming stones.
2 Skipping breakfast for a long time
Modern people generally go to bed late, have trouble getting up in the morning, and have no time to eat breakfast. It is common, but this can also easily increase the risk of gallstones.
The main function of the gallbladder is to store and concentrate bile. After more than ten hours of storage and concentration at night, the concentration of bile reaches its highest level in the morning. If you eat breakfast normally at this time, the gallbladder will discharge bile to help digestion; but skipping breakfast or having an irregular breakfast will increase the time for bile to concentrate, which can easily induce stones.
A reporter from the Big Doctor program team has not had breakfast for nearly ten years. As a result, an on-site inspection found that the reporter’s gallbladder wall was rough and the gallbladder was contracted. There may be inflammation, and there are already functional problems that may occur in the future. stone.
3 Sit on the sofa after a meal
After eating, many people are used to sitting on the sofa. At this time, the body is curled up, the intra-abdominal pressure increases, and the gastrointestinal motility is restricted, which is not conducive to the digestion and absorption of food and the excretion of bile. , it will also affect the reabsorption of bile acids, leading to an imbalance in the ratio of cholesterol and bile acids in bile, which may also induce stones over time.
4 Sedentary for a long time
Sitting for a long time is the norm for office workers. If you sit for a long time, the contraction ability of the gallbladder muscles will also become worse, affecting the discharge of bile, which can easily lead to cholestasis and create conditions for the formation of gallstones.
In addition, estrogen has a certain promoting effect on the formation of stones, so pregnancy, blind supplementation of estrogen, etc. may also increase the risk of gallstones; Diabetic patients due to metabolic disorders, lipid metabolism is easily affected, and gallstones are also prone to occur; Patients with liver cirrhosis have changes in bile composition, abnormal gallbladder contraction, and a higher probability of suffering from gallstones.
3
80% of gallstone patients are asymptomatic
but asymptomatic ≠ harmless
Gallstones are very common, almost 1 in 10 people suffer from gallstones, and the older the age, the higher the incidence, especially in the 40 to 50 years old It is more common in young people, and the risk of women is about twice that of men.
Among them, some patients may have symptoms of indigestion such as distension and discomfort in the mid-upper abdomen or right upper quadrant, belching, and anorexia and greasiness. However, surveys and studies show that about 70 to 80% of patients are asymptomatic when gallstones are discovered, and only 15 to 25% of asymptomatic patients develop symptoms during a follow-up period of 10 to 15 years.
Can we just ignore it if there are no symptoms? In fact, it is not the case, asymptomatic ≠ harmless. If gallstones are not treated proactively, they may cause a series of serious problems.
1 induces gallbladder cancer
gallbladder stones long-term stimulation of the gallbladder wall or gallbladder mucosa can easily induce chronic inflammation. Chronic cholecystitis is the strongest risk factor for gallbladder cancer - repeated episodes of inflammation can cause tissue hyperplasia to turn into adenomas, increasing the possibility of cancer.
According to statistics, about 85% of cancers are related to gallbladder stones. People with gallbladder stones are 7 times more likely to develop gallbladder cancer than people without gallbladder stones; and if gallstones are larger than 3cm, the risk of gallbladder cancer can increase by 30 times!
However, gallbladder cancer has an insidious onset and is mostly discovered late. The treatment effect is very unsatisfactory. The 5-year survival rate is even less than 5%. It is called the "King of Cancers". Therefore, even if there are no symptoms, gallstone patients should not relax their vigilance. .
2Acute cholecystitis
Stones will cause mechanical friction to the gallbladder and damage the gallbladder mucosa; during the contraction of the gallbladder, the stones will also compress the cystic duct and induce acute cholecystitis.
Acute cholecystitis manifests as paroxysmal cramping in the right upper abdomen after eating greasy or heavy meals, accompanied by radiating pain in the right shoulder and back. In severe cases, nausea, vomiting, fever and other symptoms may occur. If not treated in time, it may be complicated by gallbladder empyema, perforation, etc., and may even be life-threatening.
3 Acute Cholangitis
Gallbladder stones, especially smaller stones, may enter the common bile duct along with bile excretion. However, if the bile duct happens to be blocked, it can cause bile duct obstruction, causing bile duct pressure to rise rapidly, causing right upper quadrant Severe pain.
At this time, some bacteria may enter the biliary system and release toxins, inducing acute cholangitis, causing high fever above 39°C, and even lowering of blood pressure, coma shock , etc., which are life-threatening.
If the bile duct is completely blocked and the bacterial infection in the biliary tract is severe, it may lead to more severe acute suppurative obstructive cholangitis, refractory hypotension , mental changes, excessive excitement, etc. Once biliary tract infection changes circulation and consciousness, the mortality rate can be as high as 70%.
4 Acute Pancreatitis
In China, 60% of acute pancreatitis is related to cholelithiasis .
This is because the gallbladder and pancreatic duct merge at the duodenal papilla and share an outlet. If this place happens to be blocked by fallen stones, it will cause common obstruction of the pancreatic duct and bile duct, causing pancreatic juice excretion disorder or bile duct obstruction. Enters the pancreas and induces biliary pancreatitis .
Biliary pancreatitis may manifest as pain in the middle or left side of the upper abdomen, which continues to worsen, and is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, jaundice and other symptoms. In severe cases, it can also be life-threatening.
4
Is surgery necessary if gallstones are found
?
Surgery is a common method of treating gallstones, but not all patients with gallstones need surgery.
Some patients may consider taking oral stone-dissolving drugs to slowly dissolve the cholesterol on the surface of the stones, making the stones smaller and excreted with the bile. However, patients are generally not advised to pass stones on their own, because the human body has many spiral valves , which may get stuck in the stones and cause inflammation, which is more dangerous.
Patients with the following types of gallstones usually need surgery:
① Symptoms of biliary colic : generally manifested as intense pain in the right upper abdomen, middle upper abdomen, substernum and other parts of the body after eating too much or greasy food Dull pain that can radiate to the back (especially the right shoulder blade). The pain usually lasts for at least 30 minutes and is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sweating and other symptoms.
②The stone is not in a good location and can easily block the bile duct.
③ Those who cannot be improved by drug treatment and are at risk of rupture or cancer.
④In addition to stones, those with other gallbladder lesions.
⑤Patients with gallbladder stones larger than 1cm in diameter.
⑥Patients with a family history of gallbladder cancer.
As for surgical treatment of gallstones, whether the gallbladder needs to be removed depends on the doctor's judgment. It is generally not recommended to be too aggressive in preventive removal.
For patients who need to have their gallbladder removed, there is no need to worry too much. The current surgical trauma is very small, and there are generally no serious complications after surgery. There may be fat indigestion in the short term, but when the bile duct is expanded enough to replace the gallbladder, , it will slowly return to normal.
5
Prevent gallstones
Make good use of 3 kinds of nutrients
In order to avoid a series of harms that may be caused by gallstones, the most basic thing for us in daily life is to develop a regular and balanced diet and conduct regular hepatobiliary B-ultrasound examinations. In addition, the following substances can also help prevent the occurrence of gallstones.
1Appropriate intake of β-glucan
β-glucan can help reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and help prevent gallstones. American research shows that daily intake of 3~4g of β-glucan can reduce cholesterol by 8%.
Highland barley , barley, oats and other foods contain more β-glucan, among which oats have a higher content. Every 100g of oats contains about 6~8g of β-glucan, especially raw oats are better.
2 Appropriate intake of resistant starch
Resistant starch can stimulate gallbladder contraction, promote bile secretion, enhance cholesterol metabolism , and thus prevent the formation of gallstones. At the same time, it can also reduce lipid absorption and fatty acid synthesis, effectively reduce lipid content, prevent the formation of fatty liver, protect liver health, and also help prevent gallstones.
After ordinary rice is cooled, the resistant starch will greatly increase. Just heat it when eating. Slightly cool sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn are also foods with high resistant starch content.
3 Appropriate supplementation of vitamin C
Vitamin C can inhibit the conversion of cholesterol into bile salts in the liver, reducing the concentration of bile salts in bile, thus helping to prevent gallstones.
Fresh vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamin C, especially green peppers, cabbage, winter dates, oranges, kiwifruit, lemons, etc., which can be appropriately increased in daily intake.
(I am a doctor’s official account)
