Does Coffee Affect Gallbladder? Coffee is a drink that is favored by many due to the spark of energy it provides when consumed. However, have you ever experienced nausea, vomiting, or pain in some instances of drinking it? The symptoms mentioned are often associated with the presence of stones in the gall bladder. But the question now is Does Coffee Affect the Gallbladder? To understand the situation let us go through the functions of the gallbladder first.
What is the Gallbladder?
The gallbladder is an organ near the liver which stores the bile being produced (1). This pear-shaped organ would contract if the person has consumed a fatty meal. This action will push the bile to the bile ducts and will be delivered to the intestines to aid the digestion process. The threat to the gallbladder is the formation of gallstones.
This happens when there are large amounts of cholesterol and bilirubin in the bile that the gallbladder is not thoroughly emptied. Then the remnants will accumulate and in time will harden like stone deposits. When these items get caught up in the bile ducts it will be the source of discomforts like vomiting, pain, and nausea.
How does coffee affect the Gallbladder?
Coffee when consumed and ingested will signal the release of the peptide hormone cholecystokinin. This is gastrointestinal stimulant is responsible for aiding the digestion of protein and fat. When the processing is conducted, it will trigger the gallbladder to contract.
With this action, if there are stone deposits in the bile ducts it will cause feelings of discomfort. In this scenario, we can say that coffee does make the gall bladder contract which is a natural reaction. But coffee is not the agent responsible for the creation of gallstones (2). Therefore coffee does affect gallbladder motion but is not necessarily the culprit of the uneasiness.
Does Coffee make Gallbladder pain worse?
The thing with gallstones is if it is deposited in the bile duct it would cause these areas to inflame (3). The blockages when not treated properly will harden further severe the inflammation. This will cause pain even if the gallbladder is not yet contracting. But when it does with dire consequences the ache will be very unbearable.
There is even a risk of rupture in extreme cases. Due to this, people who have gallstones tend to shy away from coffee. It is the reason that caffeine triggers cholecystokinin which makes the gallbladder contract. But in truth as long as the digestive system continues to function the gallbladder will be continuing to move. So if the gallstones are not eliminated, whether with or without coffee the inflamed gallbladder will act up.
How to determine if it is Gallstone Pain?
How can one identify if the pain you are feeling after drinking coffee is a gallbladder inflammation? Most patients tend to feel a sharp pain in the right abdomen that can run across to the back or move up to the right shoulder. That is how severe a gallbladder attack can be. This usually happens during the night or after a high-fat meal is consumed.
Aside from the pain other symptoms are the abdomen becoming sensitive to the touch, bloating in the abdomen, fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. If you are experiencing a lot of these discomforts seek immediate medical assistance immediately. You need treatment for the condition not to escalate. Gallstone deposits when untreated can lead to rupturing which can be very fatal.
Coffee promotes contraption, can it flush out Gallstones?
It was said that coffee can push the gallbladder to contract. Thinking about it, does this motion increase the possibility of gallstones being flushed out? Since the gallbladder will push the bile on the bile ducts which can displace the stones being formed?
If the gallstones are still small, they can be flushed out. But if they are big enough to block the ducts then instead of pushing it out, it will result in extra pressure applied. If this continuously occurs inflammation is most likely to develop. Drinking coffee in a way can be an indicator if there is something wrong with your gallbladder (4). If a person feels intense pain after consuming, then it could mean there is a presence of gallstones. The higher the level of discomfort the more serious the situation is.
How Are Gallstones Diagnosed?
If you feel that the right side of your abdomen is hurting more often at every cup, then it is time to have a check-up. Listed below are diagnostic procedures that can help determine your health concern.
ABDOMINAL ULTRASOUND:
This is a basic procedure and is also a very common way to search for any signs of gallstones. This test would include the usage of a transducer. This device will be placed on top of the stomach area, it will be moved back and forth for the apparatus to capture any irregularities. It is done by the continuous sending of signals which will be processed by a computer. The accumulated information will create images that depict the patient’s abdomen. This test is not painful and does not have any downtime.
ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND (EUS):
This procedure is ideal for finding small stones in the gallbladder. This test will involve the doctor inserting a thin and flexible tube which is called an endoscope into the patient’s mouth. From there it would go down to the digestive tract to better view the gallbladder.
This device is equipped with a tiny ultrasound gadget called a transducer. Once in position, it will produce sound waves and gather information to make a precise figure of the surrounding tissue. From here blocked bile ducts can be detected better. This is procedure does not hurt even if the description sounds intense. There is no huge downtime if you opt to take this procedure.
ORAL CHOLECYSTOGRAPHY:
This test is an X-ray procedure for the gallbladder. Before the main examination, the patient would be asked to take some oral medicines. It is an iodine-based agent that will promote contrast so that the gallbladder image will be clearer.
Aside from the medicine, the patient must not eat anything before the X-ray is conducted. Aside from the three items mentioned other imaging tests to choose from are Hepatobiliary Iminodiacetic Acid (HIDA), Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), Computerized Tomography (CT), and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
BLOOD TEST:
Imaging is not the only effective way to detect gallbladder problems. Studying blood test samples is also proven to be useful. By doing this procedure ailments like jaundice, pancreatitis, infections, or other gallstone-related complications can be detected using this method.
How are gallstones treated?
Gallstones can sometimes be unnoticeable until the pain becomes eminent. The following procedures listed below are the common treatments done for this health problem.
CHOLECYSTECTOMY:
If the gallstones continuously occur and the pain is repetitive, extreme treatment will be needed. Cholecystectomy is an evasive treatment that will require surgery to remove the patient’s gallbladder. What would happen if a person loses their gallbladder?
As explained before the gallbladder stores bile and delivers it to the intestines. So once it is gone, the bile will flow directly to the intestines. This change in flow is not that critical and a person can live a normal life without their gallbladder. There will be no disruptions to how the body will digest the food that is being consumed. However, this change might have temporary side effects like diarrhea. It is expected that at the initial stage, it will be occurring since the digestive system is still adapting to the new flow of bile.
DISSOLVING GALLSTONES:
There are oral medications available in the market that can help dissolve gallstones. However, this type of method will take a very long time. It could take a span of months to years to achieve the correction needed. The medicines prescribed for gallstones are acid pills that cause bile thinning. Chemicals like ursodiol or chenodiol are known to dissolve gallstones.
These are included ingredients in oral bile acid pills. Sometimes when medication is also halted, gallstones can reappear which is troublesome. But there are certain types of people who cannot immediately undergo surgery. For example, people with diabetes cannot easily be operated on, so if they have gallstone problems too taking medication is the better way for them. Taking medicine for long periods sometimes the effects to wear off. Or there are cases that the body does not react to it and the effects are not felt. If this happens then gallstone removal by surgery is inevitable.
CONCLUSION:
In response to the main concern of: Does coffee affect the gallbladder the answer is yes. But not in a negative way as it will help the gallbladder contract more to get rid of small gallstones. However, if the patient does nothing to improve their diet and continues to consume food with large masses of cholesterol pain and other discomforts will surely follow.
It might lead to not being able to drink coffee to avoid additional triggers. And it will also result in either taking medication and supplements or having to undergo surgery to remove the gallbladder.
Article Studies, References, and Resources
- The role of the gallbladder in humans By JL Turumin https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23683886/v
- More coffee, fewer gallstones By Scott Gottlieb https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1174713/
- Systematic review with meta-analysis: coffee consumption and the risk of gallstone disease by Y-P Zhang – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26198295/
- Coffee and gastrointestinal function: facts and fiction By PJ Boekema – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10499460/