Wheat bran-type roughage reduces the lithogenicity of bile

The effect of 30 g wheat bran on the lithogenic potency of bile was studied in ten healthy males (age 25.5 +/- 0.76 years; height 182.9 +/- 2.1 cm, weight 76.8 +/- 2.3 kg). Wheat bran was taken for over six weeks, at 15 g twice daily. Bile fluid was sucked out from the prepapilla after bile stimulation. Contraction of the gallbladder was checked by ultrasound. Concentration of total bile acids and bile acid spectrum, as well as the concentration of phospholipids, remained unchanged for the six weeks of increased wheat bran intake. Cholesterol concentration in bile decreased from 3.27 +/- 0.89 mmol/l to 2.50 +/- 0.67 mmol/l. The lithogenic index fell from 1.01 +/- 0.14 to 0.67 +/- 0.11. Concentrations and composition of lipids and lipoproteins in serum remained unchanged. An increased intake of wheat bran was thus shown to be a decisive dietary measure in the prevention and treatment of cholesterol gallstones.