Why You Should Consider Taking Bile Salts If You've Had Your Gallbladder Removed
Do you struggle with gas, bloating, stomach cramps, erratic bowel movements, and/or yellowing of the skin? Have you had your gallbladder removed? Have you been diagnosed with fatty liver? Any of these things could mean you have a bile salt deficiency. So what is bile, why does it matter, and what can we do if we are deficient?
Bile is a greenish-yellow secretion produced in the liver, containing bile salts. It is continuously secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder where it is kept until needed. After you eat, the bile duct opens, allowing bile to flow from the gallbladder into the intestine to help digest food.
Specifically, bile works as an emulsifier, breaking down fats into smaller compounds so they can be digested by lipase. This includes fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K. If these fats are not properly broken down, our bodies cannot absorb them, leaving us nutrient deficient and suffering with gas and bloating. Bile salts also bind with and emulsify cholesterol, helping to eliminate it from the body.
A bile salt supplement can be especially helpful for anyone who has had gallstones or had their gallbladder removed because the secretion of bile is constant and not necessarily available when needed without a gallbladder for storage. However, there are a number of reasons to add bile salts to your diet. If you have switched to a high-fat (ketogenic) diet, you need high levels of bile salts and pancreatic enzymes to break down all the additional fats you are consuming. Also, with age our bile and pancreatic enzyme secretions slow down, so adding them as we get older can help our bodies continue to break down and absorb fats and nutrients. Finally, because bile salts help eliminate cholesterol, anyone with high cholesterol levels could benefit from additional bile salts.
Prairie Naturals Bile Force is a blend of bile salts, pancreatic enzymes, lipase, and slippery elm which all work together to digest fats and aid in overall digestive health. It is a powerful supplement to help get your fat digestion, liver health, and cholesterol levels on track.