Several years ago, I received a phone call around four o’clock from my partner stating she had been experiencing mid-back pain since 11 o’clock. She said that the pain had not minimized at all throughout this time and was accompanied by shortness of breath and slight nausea. At first we thought it might have been from some sort of muscle pain caused by a workout or holding something heavy for a long amount of time, but muscle pain would have minimized in five hours and she had not exercised strenuously enough to cause such pain.
After a couple more questions concerning what she had eaten for breakfast (i.e. eggs), I regretfully suggested that she might have gallstones. She had no idea what those were or what might have caused them. A trip to the doctor's office to have an ultrasound revealed she was positive for gallstones.
The occurrence of gallstones has bewildered scientists for some time, and many within the scientific community believe that it involves an inherited mismanagement of cholesterol by the liver. For example, according to the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center’s informational brochure on gallstones, “when there is too much cholesterol in the bile, it forms crystals which gradually enlarge to form stones. The amount of cholesterol in bile has no relation to the blood level of cholesterol.”
However, this explanation does not get to the root of the matter of what actually causes the gallstones to appear in the first place. We eat cholesterol in food, such as seafood. We manufacture cholesterol naturally in our liver. Cholesterol has been in our environment and within us for so long, why would it suddenly create gallstones? Also, not everyone gets gallstones who eat a lot of cholesterol. Clearly there must be a genetic component to consider.
There is a theory in the world of science that gallstones are created in individuals that have undiagnosed celiac disease/gluten-sensitivity. Celiac disease is defined as an autoimmune disease caused by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and millet. Grains contain a variety of proteins, some are called lectins. According to this theory, over time these lectins damage the villi on the wall of the small intestine. When the intestinal wall is damaged, the chemical messenger that tells the gall bladder to release bile (which naturally contains cholesterol) into the small intestine, called cholecystokinin (CCK), is not released. When this signal is blocked, we do not properly digest our foods, particularly fat and protein. The lack of bile released allows cholesterol crystals to form in the gall bladder, which leads to gallstones.
Usually individuals with gallstones have their gall bladder removed and they may return to their old way of eating, which in this country consists of a high-gluten-based diet. However, if the gluten-sensitivity-gallstone hypothesis is true, the sensitivity to gluten does not end when the gallbladder is removed. The body has only removed the ability for gallstones to be made in the gall bladder. Just because there is less bile available to create the gallstones, reminding an individual of this sensitivity during a painful gallstone attack, the autoimmune disorder still requires nutritional caution.
People who have true Celiac's disease will know when they are exposed to gluten in the smallest amount. However, as in the case of my partner who has never had an issue when exposed to gluten, patients may have a certain threshold of sensitivity to gluten that creates symptoms once that threshold is crossed. She would be considered to be "gluten sensitive". This would also suggest that there is a genetic component to developing gallstones.
However, even after surgery and the gall bladder has been removed, dietary caution is warrented. Gluten sensitive people are at greater risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Sjögren’s, multiple sclerosis, vitiligo, Huntington’s, etc., which would require a gluten-free and/or lectin free diet, i.e. removing all grains, legumes and dairy.
Therefore, if the gallstone-celiac/gluten-sensitive disease theory is correct, gall bladder removal may be viewed as a partial remedy to the problem, and they should continue to avoid gluten for the rest of their life. Individuals may want to consult with their physician concerning a food sensitivity test to determine if he/she may be diagnosed with celiacs disease or a gluten-sensitivity.