Prevent Disease.com - Exercise Linked to Lowered Risk of Gallstones



		Exercise Linked to Lowered Risk of Gallstones Excerpt By E.J. Mundell, Retuers Health A daily run or swim could put real distance between you and painful, debilitating gallstones, according to a new study. "We think that a very active lifestyle -- doing more than an hour of physical activity a day, with an active job -- can reduce your risk of gallstones by about 60 percent," concluded Dr. Andrew R. Hart of the University of Bristol in the UK. About 15 percent of us will be affected by gallstones at some point in our lives, with the risk of stone formation increasing with age. While most gallstones produce no symptoms and dissolve naturally, others can cause painful blockages that require surgical intervention. In an interview with Reuters Health, Hart explained that gallstones arise when bile lying within the gall bladder collects and settles. Over time, cholesterol found in the bile can crystallize and form stones. Exercise may literally "shake up" this pooled bile, discouraging crystallization. "The theory would be that if you do a lot of physical activity, your bile doesn't get time to aggregate and form cholesterol crystals to form a lot of stone," Hart said. Testing this theory, the UK researchers compared rates of daily physical activity and occurrence of gallstones in over 25,000 adults between 45 and 79 years of age. About 175 of those questioned went on to develop gallstones. "We found that the more physical activity you do, the less your risk of developing gallstones in the future," Hart said, with the most-active group exhibiting a 60 percent drop in gallstone risk compared with inactive, "couch potato" types. The findings held even after the researchers accounted for other factors known to affect gallstone risk, such as obesity, alcohol consumption and reproductive history. Hart said it's still too early to issue firm recommendations, however. "Basically we need a lot more studies looking at physical activity and gallstones to see if the results are consistent," he said. For now, Hart recommends eating a sensible, low-fat, low-sugar diet and keeping trim. The findings were presented here Sunday as part of Digestive Disease Week, the largest annual gathering of gastroenterologists in the world. Reference Source 89 For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".