Listen Here:
Click or simply search “Sigma Nutrition” on your podcast platform of choice.
Or listen directly on the Sigma website here.
Introduction
This episode examines what we actually know (and importantly, what we do not know) about diet in relation to gallstones and gallbladder conditions. Much of the public-facing guidance around gallstones focuses on “avoiding fatty foods”, yet Dr. Angela Madden explains that this long-standing practice sits on surprisingly weak direct evidence, particularly when judged against the standards typically expected for clinical dietary recommendations.
A central theme is the need to separate two distinct questions: dietary factors that influence the risk of developing gallstones (prevention), versus dietary strategies intended to reduce symptoms or complications once gallstones exist (management). While the prevention literature suggests plausible, consistent associations with overall diet quality and lifestyle factors, the specific question of prescribing a low-fat diet to manage symptomatic gallstones lacks robust randomized trial evidence.
Related resources
- Join the Sigma newsletter for free
- Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium
- Enroll in the next cohort of our Applied Nutrition Literacy course
- Dr. Madden’s univeristy page
- Cochrane Review: Madden et al., 2024 – Modified dietary fat intake for treatment of gallstone disease in people of any age
- Related episode: 513: Kidney Stones & Diet – Deepa Kariyawasam, RD
- [02:09]Discussion with Dr. Angela Madden begins
- [06:53]Understanding the gallbladder
- [08:08]Gallbladder disorders and their prevalence
- [13:42]Risk factors and pathophysiology
- [22:15]Dietary factors and gallstone formation
- [27:20]Exploring dietary fat and gallstones
- [34:09]Broader dietary considerations
- [45:44]Practical dietary recommendations
Guest Information
Click through to your app of choice to listen and subscribe:
Dr Angela Madden is a clinical researcher in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Hertfordshire, where she established and led the nutrition and dietetics subject group and now focuses her research on improving nutritional assessment, dietary interventions, and patient-centred outcomes in clinical and public health settings.
She is a Fellow and Trustee of the British Dietetic Association, has led systematic reviews on topics including dietary fat and gallstone disease, and investigates areas such as resting energy expenditure, dietetics practice, and behaviour change, integrating her clinical dietetic experience with research and teaching to inform evidence-based practice.
Danny Lennon has a master’s degree (MSc.) in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork, and he is the founder of Sigma Nutrition.
Danny is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulatory body responsible for the standardisation of best practice in the sports nutrition profession.
Introduction to this Episode
This episode examines what we actually know (and importantly, what we do not know) about diet in relation to gallstones and gallbladder conditions. Much of the public-facing guidance around gallstones focuses on “avoiding fatty foods”, yet Dr. Angela Madden explains that this long-standing practice sits on surprisingly weak direct evidence, particularly when judged against the standards typically expected for clinical dietary recommendations.
A central theme is the need to separate two distinct questions: dietary factors that influence the risk of developing gallstones (prevention), versus dietary strategies intended to reduce symptoms or complications once gallstones exist (management).
While the prevention literature suggests plausible, consistent associations with overall diet quality and lifestyle factors, the specific question of prescribing a low-fat diet to manage symptomatic gallstones lacks robust randomized trial evidence.
