Women who eat a lot of vegetables to fulfill the protein requirement
of their diet are less likely at risk of having their gallbladder
removed. This type of surgery is usually required for removal of
gallstones and other similar problems.
It has been already discovered that protein derived from vegetables
could prevent gallstones from forming in animals, however few studies
that tested the effect in humans have been performed. The 20-year
follow-up on a study of 121,000 women revealed that 7,831 of the
women had their gallbladders removed, a surgery known as cholecystectomy.
Findings from the data on the women who underwent the cholecystectomy
showed that total protein and animal protein intake had no bearing
on the potential risk of choleystectomy. On the other hand, the
risk of undergoing a cholecystectomy decreased when there was a
high intake of vegetable protein.
Based on these results researchers recommended that women boost
their consumption of vegetable protein as a protective measure against
the likelihood of needing cholecystectomy.
American
Journal of Epidemiology July 1, 2004;160(1):11-8
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