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Bile Salts
  Bile Salts
 Recommended for…
 


Bile salts are detergent-like chemicals produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. Bile salts help absorb certain components of food, while they prevent the absorption of other food components. Source


Bile salts are available as a nutritional supplement in the United States and other countries, for example in the form of freeze-dried Ox bile.

Reasons For Use
Several promising studies have been conducted using bile salts as a medicine for treating psoriasis. One theory is that many psoriasis patients have low bile production, which reduces the guts protective mechanisms. Toxins enter the blood through the gut, which triggers an immune response, inflammation and abnormal cell growth in the skin.

In a study in Hungary, 800 patients received bile salts for a period of 1 to 8 weeks. Almost 79% of that test group experienced complete remission of psoriasis, while only 25% of the control group had a similar improvement. The bile therapy led to long-term improvement: a follow-up two years after the intial study found that nearly 80% of the patients that received bile salts were in remission, while only 7% of the control group could say the same. [Pathophysiology. 2003 Dec; 10(1): pp.57-61]





Bile Salts can help with the following:
DietNot recommended for:
  A Raw Food/Fruitarian Diet
  A Vegetarian Diet
  A Vegan Diet

Metabolic

  Cystic Fibrosis
 Cystic fibrosis is associated with poor lipase secretion and, as a result, poor fat digestion. Pancreatic enzymes and bile salts may help.

Organ Health

  Consequences of Gallbladder Surgery
 Once a gallbladder is removed it is important to be on bile acid supplements. They need to be taken with every meal in which fat is consumed otherwise your fats will not be properly emulsified and absorbed.


KEY
Highly recommended
Avoid absolutely


GLOSSARY

Bile
A bitter, yellow-green secretion of the liver. Bile is stored in the gallbladder and is released when fat enters the first part of the small intestine (duodenum) in order to aid digestion.

Cystic Fibrosis
(CF) An incurable genetic disease involving a sticky buildup of mucus in the lungs (which makes breathing difficult and leads to infections), as well as pancreatic insufficiency (which leads to digestive problems). Symptoms include chronic cough producing thick mucus, excessive appetite combined with weight loss, intestinal disorders, salty sweat/skin and pneumonia. Lung-related problems are the most frequent cause of death. CF is a recessive disease, occurring only when a person inherits two mutated copies of the CF gene - one from each parent. Individuals with CF generally have a life expectancy of about 30 years.

Enzymes (Enzyme)
Specific protein catalysts produced by the cells that are crucial in chemical reactions and in building up or synthesizing most compounds in the body. Each enzyme performs a specific function without itself being consumed. For example, the digestive enzyme amylase acts on carbohydrates in foods to break them down.

Gallbladder (Gall Bladder)
A small, digestive organ positioned under the liver, which concentrates and stores bile. Problems with the gallbladder often lead to gallbladder attacks, which usually occur after a fatty meal and at night. The following are the most common symptoms: steady, severe pain in the middle-upper abdomen or below the ribs on the right; pain in the back between the shoulder blades; pain under the right shoulder; nausea; vomiting; fever; chills; jaundice; abdominal bloating; intolerance of fatty foods; belching or gas; indigestion.

Immune System (Immune Response, Immunity)
A complex that protects the body from disease organisms and other foreign bodies. The system includes the humoral immune response and the cell-mediated response. The immune system also protects the body from invasion by making local barriers and inflammation. The process may involve acquired immunity (the ability to learn and remember a specific infectious agent), or innate immunity (the genetically programmed system of responses that attack, digest, remove, and initiate inflammation and tissue healing).

Lipase
An enzyme secreted by the pancreas to assist in fat breakdown.

Liver (Hepatic)
The largest and one of the most complex organs of the body, the liver is responsible for much of the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is the site of much of the body's detoxification. It is connected very closely with digestion and the regulation of blood sugar, among many other functions. Found behind the ribs on the right side of the abdomen, it has many important functions such as removing harmful material from the blood, making enzymes and bile that help digest food, and converting food into substances needed for life and growth. Hepatic: Pertaining to the liver.

Pancreas (Pancreatic)
Opposite the liver and behind the stomach, the pancreas has two main functions - to manufacture various enzymes for digestion, and to release hormones to help control the body's use of carbohydrates. It releases insulin to help each cell absorb glucose to burn as energy. In this way, insulin controls the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Proper pancreatic function is very important: too much, too little, or no insulin production can be life-threatening. Some of the chemicals released by the pancreas are not hormones, but stimulate other glands to make hormones. Once again, balance is necessary. Nutritional requirements for the pancreas are many. Research indicates that chromium vitamins C, E, B-complex, calcium, magnesium and potassium are especially important.

Psoriasis
An inherited skin disorder in which there are red patches with thick, dry silvery scales. It is caused by the body making too-many skin cells. Sores may be anywhere on the body but are more common on the arms, scalp, ears, and the pubic area. A swelling of small joints may go along with the skin disease.




Last updated: Apr 13, 2008


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