When bile becomes thick, there is less of it, impairing the body’s ability to digest and absorb fats and oil-soluble nutrients. This situation is known as cholestasis, or biliary stasis. If biliary stasis persists, it can lead to gallstones, or bile can back up and cause further damage to the liver. It can cause problems like dry, itchy skin, digestive problems, gastric reflux, and a host of other complaints. Click to read more about biliary stasis. 

Rule Out Gallstones

Biliary stasis can eventually lead to gallstones. Gallstones will cause the same symptoms with perhaps a bit more discomfort under the right ribcage. It is a good idea to have your doctor rule out gallstones before trying to thin the bile. If a gallstone moves and blocks the common bile duct, that is a medical emergency.

Insulin Insensitivity & Biliary Stasis

The most common cause of biliary stasis is insulin insensitivity. It is linked to fatty liver and biliary stasis. Fatty liver can progress to cirrhosis of the liver. Eating sugar and insulin insensitivity can progress to serious problems with the liver and gallbladder. One study[1]  linked insulin insensitivity and sugar consumption to gallstones and even cancer. Many studies have found that eating sugar and developing insulin insensitivity causes problems with the liver and gallbladder [2-5]. Read more about insulin insensitivity. Avoiding sugar and improving insulin sensitivity will help thin the bile. Here are a couple of things that can help:

  • Do not eat any food with a glycemic  load greater than 10. This means avoiding sugar and refined food, plus some other foods that may surpise you. Lists are available online. You could also follow the Roadmap to Health, which will help balance the microbiome and reduce inflammation as well.
  • Take magnesium: Insulin insensitivity and the overproduction of insulin found in type 2 diabetes may actually interfere with magnesium absorption [6].  Studies have shown it to improve A1C levels [7], improve the lipid profiles of diabetics [8], prevent the transition from insulin insensitivity to diabetes [9], and even improve neuropathy [10].
  • Take berberine: 

 

  1. Br J Cancer. 2011 Oct 25;105(9):1424-9 Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in relation to biliary tract cancer and stone risks: a population-based study in Shanghai, China
  2. 2008 May;29(5):944-8 Polymorphism of genes related to insulin sensitivity and the risk of biliary tract cancer and biliary stone: a population-based case-control study in Shanghai, China
  3. Ann Oncol. 2013 Sep;24(9):2449-55 Diabetes mellitus, insulin treatment, diabetes duration, and risk of biliary tract cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma in a European cohort
  4. J Hepatol. 2001 Nov;35(5):550-7 Impact of liver inflammation on whole body insulin resistance : a case report on primary biliary cholangitis
  5. 2013 May 10;5(5):1544-60 Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its connection with insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease
  6. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1995 Apr;80(4):1376-81 Effects of insulin on plasma magnesium in noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: evidence for insulin resistance
  7. 2018 Dec 26;11(1):44 The Effects of Oral Magnesium Supplementation on Glycemic Response among Type 2 Diabetes Patients
  8. Magnes Res. 1994 Mar;7(1):43-7 Effects of oral magnesium supplementation on plasma lipid concentrations in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
  9. Diabetes Care. 2014 Feb;37(2):419-27 Higher magnesium intake reduces risk of impaired glucose and insulin metabolism and progression from prediabetes to diabetes in middle-aged americans
  10. 2008 May;57(5):712-7 Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus