Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Bile Is Made OfWhat It DoesWhere It’s FoundFunctionsAssociated Conditions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Bile Is Made Of
What It Does
Where It’s Found
Functions
Associated Conditions
Bile also gets rid of certain waste products from your body, such ashemoglobin, a protein that comes from destroyed red blood cells and excesscholesterol.
This article discusses the various functions of bile in your body—how it’s made, what it does, and why your body needs it. It also covers information about bile-related medical conditions, some of which can be life-threatening.
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Bile
Many compounds make up bile, but one of the most important ones is bile acids—also known as bile salts—which blend fats together during digestion so that your body can absorb them.
Bile is made of the following components:
Bilirubin is a waste product of hemoglobin that carries oxygen in the blood. Bilirubin is secreted into bile so that it can pass through the digestive system and then leave the body infeces.
High Bilirubin Levels (Hyperbilirubinemia) in Adults and Babies
What Bile Does
Bile serves three main functions. It help:
By breaking down fats, bile acids also help your intestines absorb thefat-soluble vitaminsA, D, E, and K.
The Anatomy of the Biliary System
Where Bile Is Found
Theliverfilters, breaks down, converts, and stores various substances so that your body can use or remove them.
During meals, bile is released from the gallbladder through a tube called the common bile duct. This duct connects your gallbladder and liver to yourduodenum, the first part of your small intestine.
Where is bile stored without a gallbladder?Without a gallbladder, bile is no longer stored for later use. Instead, it is continuously secreted into the digestive system. The liver still produces enough bile to allow for digestion, which means people who have their gallbladder removed can live normal, healthy lives.
Where is bile stored without a gallbladder?
Without a gallbladder, bile is no longer stored for later use. Instead, it is continuously secreted into the digestive system. The liver still produces enough bile to allow for digestion, which means people who have their gallbladder removed can live normal, healthy lives.
What to Expect During Liver Function Tests
Discovery
It wasn’t until 1848 that theories about bile were first documented.Fast forward to the 1920s and scientists began to study the chemistry and biology of bile in detail.
In 1928, a German scientist named Heinrich Weiland won a Nobel Prize in chemistry for revealing the composition of bile acids. His discovery helped clarify the important functions of bile acids in the body.
More research is needed to confirm the findings, but the study suggests that thegut microbiome—bacteria and other microbes that live in your gastrointestinal tract—may play a role in producing both bile acids and enzymes in the liver.
How Your Gut Flora Affects Your Health
How Bile Works
Between meals, bile is stored in the gallbladder and only a small amount of bile flows into the intestine. Bile also becomes more concentrated during this storage process.
Fatty foods that enter the duodenum prompt hormonal and nerve signals that cause the gallbladder to contract. The hormones that control this process are:
Signals also come from thevagus nerve, which extends from the brainstem all the way down to your abdomen.
As a result, bile flows into the duodenum and mixes with food, stomach acids, and digestive fluids from thepancreas, which helps the intestines absorb nutrients into the bloodstream.
Most of the bile acids are absorbed through the lower intestine and then circulated into the bloodstream and back to the liver.
Many people are familiar withjaundice, when bilirubin (the main pigment in bile) accumulates in the bloodstream. It is common in newborns, who are not always developed enough for their body to remove the pigment from their system. Classic signs include dark urine and yellowing of the skin and eyes.
But jaundice can also occur in people of all ages when bile flow from the liver to the duodenum slows or stops for another reason. Known ascholestasis, this can occur as a result of liver, pancreas, or gallbladder disorders, or any damage to bile ducts.
Conditions that can scar or inflame the liver and lead to cholestasis include:
Other conditions that can affect bile production or flow include:
Your gallbladder is most likely to give you trouble if something like a gallstone blocks bile from flowing through the bile ducts. Treatment may includeendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)to remove the obstruction. Or, acholecystectomy, which is surgery to remove the gallbladder. may be performed. After this procedure, bile gets transferred directly from the liver to the small intestine. The gallbladder is not essential to the process.
Bile duct obstruction, due to gallstones or gallbladder cancer, can actually mimic acute viral hepatitis. Imaging can be used to rule out the possibility of gallstones orcancer.
Bile refluxis another related condition. It occurs when bile gets backed up in your stomach and esophagus, the tube that connects your mouth and stomach. Bile reflux sometimes happens along withacid reflux.
Unlike acid reflux, dietary or lifestyle changes don’t usually improve bile reflux. Treatment involves medications or, in severe cases, surgery.
Understanding Diarrhea Caused By Bile Acid Malabsorption
Summary
Bile is made of several components, including bile acids, bilirubin, and fats. It’s made in your liver and stored in your gallbladder until your body needs it for digestion. Bile helps your body separate the nutrients it needs from toxins and waste, which are removed in your feces.
If bile flow slows or stops due to disease or inflammation, bilirubin can build up and lead to jaundice. Call your doctor if you notice jaundice, as this is a symptom of gallstones, gallbladder cancer, and other conditions that may require a cholecystectomy.
Dyspepsia
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Di Ciaula A, Garruti G, Lunardi Baccetto R, et al.Bile acid physiology.Ann Hepatol. 2017;16(Suppl. 1: s3-105.):s4-s14. doi:10.5604/01.3001.0010.5493Ahmed M.Functional, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of bile.Clin Exp Gastroenterol. 202;15:105-120. doi:10.2147/CEG.S360563InformedHealth.org.How does the gallbladder work?. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.National Health Service (NHS).Gallbladder removal overview.Hofmann AF, Hagey LR.Key discoveries in bile acid chemistry and biology and their clinical applications: history of the last eight decades.J Lipid Res. 2014;55(8):1553-1595. doi:10.1194/jlr.R049437Quinn RA, Melnik AV, Vrbanac A, et al.Global chemical effects of the microbiome include new bile-acid conjugations.Nature. 2020;579(7797):123-129. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2047-9U.S. National Library of Medicine.Cholestasis.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Di Ciaula A, Garruti G, Lunardi Baccetto R, et al.Bile acid physiology.Ann Hepatol. 2017;16(Suppl. 1: s3-105.):s4-s14. doi:10.5604/01.3001.0010.5493Ahmed M.Functional, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of bile.Clin Exp Gastroenterol. 202;15:105-120. doi:10.2147/CEG.S360563InformedHealth.org.How does the gallbladder work?. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.National Health Service (NHS).Gallbladder removal overview.Hofmann AF, Hagey LR.Key discoveries in bile acid chemistry and biology and their clinical applications: history of the last eight decades.J Lipid Res. 2014;55(8):1553-1595. doi:10.1194/jlr.R049437Quinn RA, Melnik AV, Vrbanac A, et al.Global chemical effects of the microbiome include new bile-acid conjugations.Nature. 2020;579(7797):123-129. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2047-9U.S. National Library of Medicine.Cholestasis.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Di Ciaula A, Garruti G, Lunardi Baccetto R, et al.Bile acid physiology.Ann Hepatol. 2017;16(Suppl. 1: s3-105.):s4-s14. doi:10.5604/01.3001.0010.5493Ahmed M.Functional, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of bile.Clin Exp Gastroenterol. 202;15:105-120. doi:10.2147/CEG.S360563InformedHealth.org.How does the gallbladder work?. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.National Health Service (NHS).Gallbladder removal overview.Hofmann AF, Hagey LR.Key discoveries in bile acid chemistry and biology and their clinical applications: history of the last eight decades.J Lipid Res. 2014;55(8):1553-1595. doi:10.1194/jlr.R049437Quinn RA, Melnik AV, Vrbanac A, et al.Global chemical effects of the microbiome include new bile-acid conjugations.Nature. 2020;579(7797):123-129. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2047-9U.S. National Library of Medicine.Cholestasis.
Di Ciaula A, Garruti G, Lunardi Baccetto R, et al.Bile acid physiology.Ann Hepatol. 2017;16(Suppl. 1: s3-105.):s4-s14. doi:10.5604/01.3001.0010.5493
Ahmed M.Functional, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of bile.Clin Exp Gastroenterol. 202;15:105-120. doi:10.2147/CEG.S360563
InformedHealth.org.How does the gallbladder work?. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.
National Health Service (NHS).Gallbladder removal overview.
Hofmann AF, Hagey LR.Key discoveries in bile acid chemistry and biology and their clinical applications: history of the last eight decades.J Lipid Res. 2014;55(8):1553-1595. doi:10.1194/jlr.R049437
Quinn RA, Melnik AV, Vrbanac A, et al.Global chemical effects of the microbiome include new bile-acid conjugations.Nature. 2020;579(7797):123-129. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2047-9
U.S. National Library of Medicine.Cholestasis.
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