I am often asked about bloating after meals and one thing to consider for that is how the gallbladder is doing. Many people miss this. I’ve written a Gallbladder factsheet here for you, but also saw a great run down of gallbladder markers on blood tests that can show up an issue.
From Optimal Dx:
Gallbladder dysfunction doesn’t always show up on imaging, but it leaves its signature in blood chemistry long before stones or inflammation develop. With Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis, you can recognize the early warning signs of biliary stress,
Optimal Dx
They give 3 main patterns to look for.
Low bile levels is just that – you’ve not got enough to digest fatty meals etc properly.
- ALP: Above 100 IU/L
- Total Cholesterol: <160 mg/dL
- Possible fat-soluble vitamin deficiency symptoms
Cholestasis or biliary stasis means poor bile flow, it’s becoming stagnant and sludgy so could start causing some issues.
- ALP: 100–130 IU/L
- GGT: Elevated
- Direct Bilirubin: Slightly elevated
- ALT/AST: Mildly elevated
Biliary obstruction is gallstones most often, something is starting to block the gallbladder function, not good and needs to be sorted asap. See your doctor.
- Total/Direct Bilirubin: Elevated
- ALP and GGT: Sharply elevated
- ALT/AST: May be markedly elevated
- LDH: Elevated
Your GP can test these quite easily with a normal blood test, but you can also do it using a Wellness test – male or female. You get an awful lot more markers with those – great MOT type test – and helps you look at some of the main possible causes too (see more on those below).
They go on to remind us of symptoms to look for, and possible causes – note the hormone link here – gallbladder problems show up a lot in menopausal women, I find, presumably because often it is progesterone dropping that causes problems, not oestrogen as most people think.
Look for these symptoms:
- RUQ pain (right upper quadrant, right shoulder) or pain between the shoulder blades
- Fatty food intolerance
- Clay-colored or greasy stools
- Bloating or nausea after meals
- Dry skin or peeling feet
- Bitter taste in the mouth after meals
And consider these causes:
- Estrogen dominance
- Hypothyroidism
- Toxin load or liver congestion
- Very high or very low-fat diets
- Dehydration
- SIBO or dysbiosis
I have a factsheet on the main ones there in the A-Z which will help.
Natural Treatment for Gallbladder
For specific treatment ideas, see my factsheet here, and I’ll add these markers to that too.
Hope that helps 🙂
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