Plant-Based Diets Reduce Risk for Gallstones

Vegetarian diets reduce the risk for gallstone disease, according to research published in Nutrients. Researchers followed 4,839 participants and tracked diet, cholesterol levels, and gallstone incidence rates. Women who consumed a nonvegetarian diet had an increased risk for gallstones, compared with women who consumed a vegetarian diet. Women with hypercholesterolemia had almost 4 times the risk for gallstones, compared with vegetarian women who had normal cholesterol levels. Vegetarian diets lower cholesterol through increased fiber intake and may protect against other risk factors including insulin resistance and obesity.