But if a stone happens to get stuck in the bile duct, sharp pains and potentially serious complications may follow. Cause Bile, which flows from the liver into the gallbladder, is normally rich in cholesterol. It also contains bilirubin, a waste product formed when the liver breaks down old red blood cells. When these two substances get out of balance , a small particle may crystallize in the gallbladder.
Stones can be small and sharp-edged or larger and smoother.
Doctors do not know exactly why bile substances get out of balance, causing stones to form. Diet, heredity, and hormonal influences have been identified as factors by different researchers. For example, some have proposed that overeating can lead to gallstones, especially foods containing large amounts of flour and sugar. Medical researchers increasingly suspect that a diet high in cholesterol contributes to the formation of gallstones. Others have observed that women develop gallstones more often than men and have proposed that the female hormone estrogen causes changes in the bile.