Eating vegetable protein may spare gallbladder

New York - Women who get a lot of their dietary protein from vegetables are at reduced risk for having their gallbladder removed, which is usually performed for gallstones and related problems, new research suggests.

"In animals, vegetable protein can inhibit gallstone formation," Dr. Chung-Jyi Tsai, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues note. However, few studies have looked at this association in humans.

As reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the researchers studied data from some 121,000 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study. Over 20 years of follow-up, 7831 women underwent gallbladder removal, also called cholecystectomy.

Total protein intake and animal protein intake had no effect on the risk of cholecystectomy. For vegetable protein, however, the risk of cholecystectomy dropped as intake increased.

"These results suggest that increased consumption of vegetable protein in the context of an energy-balanced diet can reduce the risk of cholecystectomy in women," the authors conclude. -- Reuters

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