Can Food Sensitivities and Allergies Cause Gallbladder Problems?

Food allergies can trigger a wide range of symptoms throughout the body, but the effects of a food allergy do not affect the gallbladder. Gallbladder disease and symptoms from a food allergy may cause similar symptoms to occur, such as stomach discomfort and upper-abdomenal pain. If you consistently develop adverse reactions from eating certain foods, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss possible causes.

Gallbladder

The gallbladder is a sac that lies behind the liver, which stores bile for digestion. Bile is the substance used by the digestive system to break down fat so that the body can absorb the fat and store it for energy. If the cholesterol in the bile begins to clump together, it can form pebble-like stones called gallstones. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that most people with gallbladder disease are unaware that they have the condition because they lack symptoms 3. Aside from gallstones, if your gallbladder is inflamed or infected, you’re considered to have gallbladder disease.

Symptoms

Gallbladder disease is mostly identified by common symptoms. Because the gallbladder is located on the right side of your abdomen, most pain and discomfort develops in the right shoulder, right side of the stomach or in between your shoulder blades, according to MayoClinic.com. Symptoms that may cause concern include yellowing of your skin, high fever, body chills and intense abdominal pain that prohibits your ability to function normally. Foods that are high in fat are most likely to cause a gallbladder attack, not food allergies. Common foods that may trigger a gallbladder attack include fried foods, whole milk products and foods naturally high in fat, such as peanut butter, butter or avocados.

Food Allergies and Sensitivities

Food allergies also are referred to as food sensitivities or hypersensitivities. During a food allergy, your immune system overreacts to the proteins found in specific foods and attacks them with antibodies and other chemicals. While food allergies can trigger stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the reaction in the body will cause other symptoms to develop.

Identification

Most food allergies cause mild symptoms, but in rare cases an allergic reaction to a food can cause life-threatening symptoms. If you have a food allergy and gallbladder disease, it may be difficult to distinguish between symptoms pertaining to the digestive system.