High rate of being inflicted with gallstones among obese teenagers

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Shin Min Daily News – 9th May 2012

As an obese teenager, the rate of having gallstones is exceptionally high. After conducting research, America’s Permante Medical group’s Dr Kalina found out that the rate of getting gallstones for obese teenagers as compared to other teenagers of the same age was more than 4 times higher. The American researcher who conducted this research has also stated that there will be more sightings of teenagers even before the age of 20 to be inflicted with gallstones.

It is easier for obese people to get gallstones as the human body has a self-dissolving ability and the liver will create bile salt to dissolve cholesterol and other substances etc. Bile salt can be considered as a dissolving agent to prevent these substances from crystallizing. However, when there is too much cholesterol, the bile salt is unable to dissolve it and those undissolved substances will form crystals at the liver, forming gallstones at a later period.

Although the cholesterol of obese people may not be high, however obesity, high blood pressure and hyperglycemia etc are usually inseparable, thus obese people usually have high cholesterol.

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