The bile duct forms part of the biliary system, responsible for the transportation of bile, a thick brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow digestive fluid necessary for proper digestion of food. The biliary system consists of other organs such as the gallbladder, the hepatic ducts, the common bile duct, the cystic duct, and the bile ducts inside and outside the liver. In short, the biliary system is a whole network of various sized bile ducts that run through a series of organs that include the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and the small intestine.
The bile duct is long tube-like structure that connects the liver to the intestine. The liver makes bile that is required for the digestion of food. The bile from the liver is transported to the intestine by the bile duct.
The top half of the bile duct is associated with the liver while the bottom half of the bile duct is associated the pancreas through which it passes on its way to the intestine. It opens in the part of the intestine called the duodenum into a structure called the Ampulla.
Blockage of the bile duct by a cancer or scarring from injury prevents the bile from being transported to the intestine and the bile accumulates in the blood. This condition is called jaundice and the skin and eyes becomes yellow from the accumulated bile in the blood. This condition also causes severe itchiness.
Jaundice is commonly causes by conditions such as pancreatic cancer caused by blockage of the bile duct passing through the cancerous portion of the pancreas, bile duct cancer, blockage by a stone in patients with gallstones and from scarring after injury to the bile duct during gallbladder removal.
The gall bladder is a hollow organ that lies directly under and abutting the liver. It is connected to the liver and upper portion part of the small intestine via a duct system. The gall bladder's purpose is to collect and store bile from the activities of the liver then release it at the appropriate time into the small intestine. It is a muscular organ, contracting during the first part of digestion. Ingesting especially fatty meals can increase the intensity of the contraction.
Bile, also called gall, is a greenish yellow secretion that is produced in the liver and passed to the gallbladder for concentration, storage, or transport into the first region of the small intestine, the duodenum. Its function is to aid in the digestion of fats in the duodenum. Bile is composed of bile acids and salts, cholesterol, pigments, water, and electrolyte chemicals that keep the total solution slightly acidic (with a pH of about 5 to 6). Bile is continually secreted from the cells of the liver into the common bile duct and gallbladder; once in the gallbladder it is usually concentrated to about 5 times—and sometimes as high as 18 times—the strength of the original secretion. The amount of bile secreted into the duodenum is controlled by the hormones secretin, gastrin, and cholecystokinin and also by the vagus nerve. About 250 to 1,000 millilitres of bile (before concentration) are produced daily by the liver.
Bile salts are composed of the salts of four different kinds of free bile acids (cholic, deoxycholic, chenodeoxycholic, and lithocholic acids); each of these acids may in turn combine (conjugate) with glycine or taurine to form more complex acids and salts. Bile salts and acids can be synthesized from cholesterol or extracted from the bloodstream by the liver. They pass from the liver into the intestine, where they act as detergents to emulsify fat and reduce the surface tension on fat droplets to prepare them for the action of pancreatic and intestinal fat-splitting enzymes. The salts are large, negatively charged ions that are not readily absorbed by the upper region of the small intestine; consequently, they remain in the intestine until most of the fat is digested. In the lower intestine, the salts and acids are absorbed and passed back into the bloodstream until they are once again extracted by the liver; this cycle, from the liver to the intestine and blood and then back to the liver, is called enterohepatic circulation. Some salts and acids are lost during this process; these are replaced in the liver by continual synthesis from cholesterol. The rate of synthesis is directly related to the amount of acids and salts lost. Bile salts do not normally reach the colon; when they do, however, they inhibit the absorption of water and sodium, causing a watery diarrhea.
Bile salts and acids are transported in a fluid that contains water, sodium, chloride, and bicarbonates. This fluid is produced in the liver, and it serves to neutralize hydrochloric acid passed from the stomach into the small intestine. Water-insoluble wastes that the liver removes from blood, such as cholesterol, steroids, drugs, and hemoglobin pigments, are carried in the fluid to the excretory system. Hemoglobin pigments are broken down, producing several bile fluid compounds, including bilirubin which has no known function other than that of a colouring agent. Traces of other substances can also be found in bile, but their significance there is not fully understood; a few of these substances are mucus, serum proteins, lecithin, neutral fats, fatty acids, and urea.
The bile that is stored in the gall bladder contains various products and byproducts of the liver's metabolism. In addition to the enzymes that will help to breakdown fat, there are chemicals, hormones, cholesterol, and heavy metals. These products and byproducts are usually co-joined with various amino acids, minerals and vitamins. This makes the products and byproducts easier to eliminate into the intestines and out of the body.
The bile that is stored in the gall bladder contains various products and byproducts of the liver's metabolism. In addition to the enzymes that will help to breakdown fat, there are chemicals, hormones, cholesterol, and heavy metals. These products and byproducts are usually co-joined with various amino acids, minerals and vitamins. This makes the products and byproducts easier to eliminate into the intestines and out of the body.
The gall bladder can sometimes form stones from the constitute parts of bile. These stones can range from pea size to golf ball size or larger. In addition to stones reducing size and scope of the gall bladder's function the bile itself can become thickened. This in turn may cause a sludge buildup on the stones themselves. Both of these problems will restrict the storage and flow of bile and reduce the body's ability to digest foods.
There are a number of nutritional types that can be utilized to improve gall bladder function. Diets predominating in fruits, veggies, and fiber will help by binding bile, bacteria, molds and yeast and increase their elimination. These foods will reduce the amount of bile that is re-sorbed into the blood streams that feed directly back to the liver. This prevents the liver from becoming toxic. The elimination of trans-fats from the diet and the inclusion of good oils will certain help the liver handle fat more efficiently.
The vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6 and F will help the bile become less thick. A herbal combination of Collinsonia Root, Spanish Black Radish, red beet root, and Cholacol® will also help to water down the bile.
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