Role of diet in cholesterol gallstone formation

BackgroundThere is a high prevalence of gallstone disease in Western countries as a consequence of genetic, biochemical, and environmental factors. Animal and clinical studies have explored the importance of dietary elements. Overwhelming but conflicting information has been reported about the relationship between specific dietary components and gallstone disease. Although the detailed biochemical pathways have been described in experimental models, human studies are mainly epidemiological.MethodsWe performed a Medline search with the terms “diet”, “gallstones”, “cholesterol”, “risk factors”, including results from 1965 to 2006 and the author's personal library to review the relationship between dietary factors and cholesterol gallstone disease.ResultsWe identified over 150 references and present their results with respect to the author's criteria.ConclusionsThe best delineated relationship between cholesterol gallstones and diet was found in the studies that analyzed total calorie intake, refined sugars and fiber. The possible mechanisms are discussed in base of experimental studies.