Mediterranean Diet May be Linked to Fewer Gallbladder Surgeries

High-fiber foods have been linked to a decreased risk of gallbladder surgery among participants in a recent study conducted in France. People who ate higher amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole grain breads experienced fewer gallbladder surgeries, or cholecystectomies, as compared to people with diets entailing decreased amounts of these foods and greater levels of foods like ham. Gallbladder surgery is performed when gallstone-related blockages occur, necessitating the removal of a person’s gallbladder. Affecting 700,000 Americans annually, this surgery is relatively common, although this study does not demonstrate that a Mediterranean diet directly causes a lowered risk of gallbladder surgery, while consumption of a typical American diet (eggs, rice, and more-processed foods) doesn’t necessarily more closely correlate with this type of surgery either.

Reuters (8/7). ACG Gastro Girl.