What Does the Gallbladder Do?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
5. Supports Digestion of Fat
Although the gallbladder does not produce bile, by storing and concentrating it, it helps in the digestion of fat. The structure of the biliary system is such that bile produced in the liver is continually flowing through the hepatic duct, cystic duct, and common bile duct.
At this stage, the bile is dilute and not useful in the processing of fat for digestion. However, the bile that collects in the gallbladder is concentrated by 5 or more times. This concentration is required for the emulsification of fat ready for digestion by the lipase enzyme. Without emulsification, lipase cannot digest fat for absorption into the body.
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