From bloating to heart attack

Source: Sunday Daily Blikk August 2014

Indigestion, obesity, atherosclerosis - among other things, these can be the consequences of bile dysfunction.

Bile acids are produced by the liver and are broken down in the intestinal tract, where they are also rebuilt by the liver. Their important function is to move in the small intestine by separating the fats in the food into small droplets make it more accessible to the breakdown enzymes. If this is not done, the intestinal flora in the colon will start breaking down fats, which leads to increased gas formation, bloating and other digestive disorders. The other importance of bile acids is that help the body get rid of excess and therefore harmful cholesterol. If there is a disturbance in this area, excess cholesterol remains in the body and is deposited on the walls of blood vessels, and narrowed blood vessels increase the risk of developing circulatory diseases.

However, bile acids are not only involved in digestion, i.e. the breakdown of fats, but also in the in maintaining the immune system also play an important role: they neutralise the highly toxic substances released when fungi and bacteria die. In addition without bile acids, the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, E, D and K) cannot take place, so even with apparently adequate vitamin intake, vitamin deficiencies can develop, further weakening immunity and leading to the development of new diseases.

The amount of bile acids increases with age, but stress, inflammation and medicines can cause it to fall below the appropriate level, and it is then necessary to make up the shortfall to maintain health.