Prairie dogs and gallstone formation.Prairie dogs and gallstone gallstone: see gall bladder. gallstone Mass of crystallized substances that forms in the gallbladder. The most common type occurs when the liver secretes bile with too much cholesterol to stay in solution. formation Fish oil added to a diet laden with cholesterol can protect prairie dogs from cholesterol gallstones Gallstones Definition A gallstone is a solid crystal deposit that forms in the gallbladder, which is a pear-shaped organ that stores bile salts until they are needed to help digest fatty foods. , according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. new research. The report suggests a mechanism by which cholesterol gallstones develop and may lead to preventive measures for people at risk of forming such gallstones. Epidemiologists find people who eat a lot of fish--such as the Greenland Eskimos -- have much lower rates of both cholesterol-caused heart disease and cholesterol gallstones when compared to Americans. Thomas H. Magnuson at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and biomedical research institute in the United States. in Baltimore and others suggest the omega-3 fatty acids This is a list of omega-3 fatty acids. Common name Lipid name Chemical name α-Linolenic acid (ALA) 18:3 (n-3) octadeca-9,12,15-trienoic acid Stearidonic acid 18:4 (n-3) octadeca-6,9,12,15-tetraenoic acid in fish oil may block a cascade of events that trigger the precipitation of cholesterol in bile, a waste product produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. To test the theory, Magnuson and his colleagues fed 16 prairie dogs high-cholesterol diets for 14 days. Eight of the group got a fish oil supplement rich in omega-3 fatty acids. At the end of the study period, the researchers removed and examined all 16 gallbladders. The prairie dogs fed fish oil showed no evidence of cholesterol crystals or gallstones. The eight prairie dogs fed a high-cholesterol diet without fish oil had cholesterol gallstones, Magnuson reported. Since most humans have bile saturated with liquid cholesterol, scientists have long puzzled over what causes cholesterol to precipitate out of solution, eventually forming stone-like particles. Magnuson's research hints that fish oil fatty acids may inhibit gallstone formation by blocking production of prostaglandin prostaglandin (prŏs'təglăn`dən), any of a group of about a dozen compounds synthesized from fatty acids in mammals as well as in lower animals. , a hormone-like substance that spurs the gallbladder to release certain proteins believed to cause liquid cholesterol to precipitate. More research needs to be done to identify these proteins, Magnuson says: Researchers shoudl conduct trials with human subjects to find out if fish oil prevents cholesterol gallstones, Magnuson adds. Gallstones can lodge in the bile duct bile duct or biliary duct n. Any of the excretory ducts in the liver that convey bile between the liver and the intestine, including the hepatic, cystic, and common bile ducts. Also called gall duct. bile duct 1. causing intense pain and requiring surgery in some cases. |
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