Cholesterol excretion by bile - text

Author: by Dr. István Tihanyi Tihanyi (physician, bibliologist, paediatrician, naturopath)

Title: Bile acids 2014
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gallbladder-removal/

If cholesterol levels rise

The role of optimal bile acid production is of central importance because low bile acid secretion can be a source of many diseases. Their primary role is to help rid the body of excess and therefore damaging cholesterol. When the liver produces and excretes less bile acid - caused by stagnant bile that is poorly and irregularly excreted - which results from eating less bile-forming foods, less bile is formed. This leaves more excess cholesterol in the body, the digestion of fats becomes more imperfect and the resulting absorbed fats raise blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, depositing in the circulatory system on the walls of blood vessels, narrowing their inner lumen and thus creating catastrophic circulatory and infarct-causing situations.

Bile acids and cholesterol that are excreted through bile are passed into the intestine, where most of them are reabsorbed. Thus, cholesterol produced by the liver is also bound in the intestines. There is evidence that gut bacteria also play an important role in binding cholesterol to faeces. This is why it is important to eat a diet rich in fibre and take probiotics to maintain the gut flora. So it is not the cholesterol intake but the cholesterol produced by the body that is the more important factor.

Dietary fats and cholesterol contribute to the deterioration of lab values only up to 10%. There is another vitamin that is a more important influencing factor than diet, nicotinic acid (vitamin PP), as it reduces cholesterol production in the liver.

As I mentioned, some of the bile acids that enter the intestine are reabsorbed, allowing the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, allowing the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Bile acids, which also circulate in the blood, help to transport the vitamins to their final destination, the cells. Moreover, they allow the vitamins to pass through the cell wall, which has a double layer of fat and protein, to their destination, the cells. Consequently, if there are not enough bile acid molecules in the intestine, i.e. if we do not consume enough bile-secreting foods (e.g. fat, oil), the absorption and utilisation of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) is impaired. Therefore, even if we consume sufficient amounts of fat-soluble vitamins, they are not absorbed due to poor utilisation and, despite an apparently adequate supply of vitamins, vitamin deficiencies can develop.