Thickening Bile Is Often a Sugar Issue

If you have dry, itchy feet with cracked skin on your heels, there are many possible causes.  One possibility is that you are having a problem with your gallbladder.

Biliary stasis is the term used when the bile becomes too thick. It is a medical diagnosis. It does not happen all of a sudden. In natural healthcare, we recognize a gradual thickening or partial thickening that may not rise to the level of a medical diagnosis—it is just not functioning optimally.

One very common cause of bile thickening is insulin insensitivity. Eating too much sugar can eventually lead to fatty liver and biliary stasis.

Bile Is Necessary to Digest Fats & Absorb Fat-Soluble Vitamins

When the bile becomes sluggish, it interferes with your ability to digest fats and oils (including the fat-soluble vitamins: A, E, D, and K). Itchy skin and dry, cracked heels can be the result of deficiencies in fat-soluble nutrients. You may have these other symptoms:

  • Nausea or digestive distress triggered by greasy food.
  • Dry skin.
  • Itchy skin.
  • Clay-colored stools.
  • Fat or grease in the stool.
  • Gastric reflux that does not respond to other treatment.
  • Constipation that does not respond to other treatment.
  • Bitter or metallic taste in the mouth.

If left unchecked, this can lead to gallstones. The bile becomes thicker and thicker until solid stones begin to appear. There are steps you can take to prevent this from happening.

Itching: This is one of the most common symptoms experienced by people with gallbladder problems. Poor absorption of fat-soluble nutrients may contribute to dry, itchy skin.

Supplements with artichoke extract: You want to thin the bile before you start forming gallstones. Artichoke extract has traditionally been used for gallstones, to support liver function, and as a liver and gallbladder bile stimulant1,2,3,4,5. Beet extract has also been used to thin bile.

Insulin insensitivity: One of the most common causes of biliary stasis is a diet that is high in sugar and refined food. Supplements will help, but you really need to change your diet.

Try this (talk to your doctor first):

  1. Roadmap to Health diet: The most common cause of biliary stasis is insulin insensitivity. This diet will help get insulin production under control. Click here to learn more.
  2. Take a bile-thinning supplement: These usually are made with a base of artichoke extract or beet extract. Some will also contain taurine, or antioxidants, like vitamin C.

The above advice will work for most people. You should have a doctor rule out gallstones, because that may change the therapy. If you do not get the desired result, you may need to aggressively treat the insulin insensitivity. Click here for more information.

Sources:

  1. Increase in choleresis by means of artichoke extract Kirchhoff CH, Beckers G.M., Kirchhoff H., Trinczek-Gärtner, O.Petrowicz, H.J. Reimann Phytomedicine Volume 1, Issue 2, September 1994, Pages 107-115
  2. Przegl Lek 2012;69(10):1129-31. [Artichoke–untapped Potential of Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Atherosclerosis and Liver Diseases] Małgorzata Horoszkiewicz , Maksymilian Kulza, Katarzyna Malinowska, Anna Woźniak, Monika Seńczuk-Przybyłowska, Anna Wachowiak, Ewa Florek
  3. Kraft K. Artichoke leaf extract – Recent findings reflecting effects on lipid metabolism, liver and gastrointestinal tracts. Phytomedicine 1997;4(4):369-378
  4. Saenz Rodriguez, T., et al. “Choleretic activity and biliary elimination of lipids and bile acids induced by an artichoke leaf extract in rats.” Phytomedicine. 2002 Dec; 9(8): 687-93.
  5. Gebhardt, R. “Anticholestatic activity of flavonoids from artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) and of their metabolites.” Med. Sci. Monit. 2001; (7) Suppl. 1: 316-20.