What Is Bile?
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Medically reviewed by Robert Burakoff, MD
Bile is a green, yellow, or brownish liquid that your liver produces and stores in the gallbladder. Your bile is made up of mainly water but also includes bile salts, amino acids, cholesterol, vitamins, enzymes, heavy metals, phospholipids, and bilirubin.After you eat, bile from your liver directly flows into your small intestine where it breaks down fat. When you're not eating, your bile gets stored in your gallbladder.
Your bile has several important functions in your body. But these functions can be disrupted if you aren't able to produce a normal amount of bile. Several health conditions can affect the production and flow of bile, such as bile duct cancer, cholecystitis, and cholangitis. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to keep your bile healthy.
Anatomy of Bile
Your liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts all play an important role in producing, releasing, and storing bile. Your liver helps your body remove toxins from your blood, regulate blood sugar levels, and produce bile. Your gallbladder stores the bile. Your bile ducts are small canals that help bile travel through your digestive system. These three organs together are known as your biliary system.
There are two types of bile ducts: intrahepatic and extrahepatic. The intrahepatic bile ducts carry bile inside your liver, while the extrahepatic bile ducts release bile from your liver. Bile that gets carried out of your liver can go into your gallbladder for storage. But, only a small amount of bile gets released (or, secreted) from your liver. Most of your bile gets reabsorbed and returned to the liver—a process known as enterohepatic recirculation.
What Does Bile Do?
Bile carries out several important functions, such as:
Helping with digestion by breaking down fatty acids from the food you eat
Absorbing fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K
Eliminating excess cholesterol and bilirubin (a type of pigment in your blood that can cause jaundice when present in high levels) from your body
Killing harmful microorganisms from the food you digest
Neutralizing excess stomach acid and toxins
Related Health Conditions
Several conditions can affect the production, flow, and functioning of bile. A few of these conditions include:
Cholecystitis: Inflammation of the gallbladder which occurs when there is a blockage in a cystic duct. This condition causes abdominal pain, bloating, inability to tolerate spicy and greasy foods, nausea, and vomiting. Untreated cholecystitis can lead to perforation (holes in the gallbladder), sepsis, and early death.
Primary biliary cholangitis: An autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in the intrahepatic bile ducts. Common symptoms include itchy skin, fatigue, joint pain, and aches in the upper right side of your abdomen.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis: Inflammation that occurs in both your intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts. This condition can cause your bile ducts to become blocked and cause scarring, leading to symptoms like diarrhea, jaundice (the yellowing of your eyes and skin), itchy skin, fatigue, fever, and abdominal pain.
Bile duct cancer: Also called cholangiocarcinoma, this condition occurs when cancer cells develop in your bile ducts. Symptoms include jaundice, fever, itchy skin, nausea, pain in the abdomen, and unintentional weight loss.
Biliary atresia: A condition that mostly occurs in infants when the bile ducts become blocked and cause obstruction of bile flow in and out of the liver.
Diagnostic Testing
If you are experiencing symptoms that could be caused by underlying liver, bile duct, or gallbladder problems, your healthcare provider may order diagnostic tests. These exams can identify what's affecting the production and flow of bile. Your provider may use the following types of tests for proper evaluation:
Blood tests: Healthcare providers often recommend complete blood count and liver function tests. Liver function tests evaluate gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), prothrombin time (INR), total bilirubin, direct and indirect bilirubin, and serum albumin to identify how well your liver is functioning.
Endoscopic ultrasound: During the endoscopic ultrasound, an endoscope (a tube with a small camera attached to it) passes through your mouth and into the small intestine to create images of bile ducts and gallbladder. This test can help detect stones in your bile ducts and bile duct cancer cells.
Computed tomography (CT): CT scans help create detailed images of your internal organs and can determine any abnormalities in the bile ducts, liver, or gallbladder.
Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP): This procedure creates images of the bile and pancreatic ducts to detect abnormalities.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP): This exam also uses an endoscope to assess the health of your pancreatic and bile ducts. Additionally, an ERCP can also help remove stones from these ducts.
Hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan: This scan uses an intravenous injection to inject a radioactive tracer into your body. The tracer enters your liver and helps track the flow of bile from the liver to the small intestine.
Tips for Keeping Your Liver and Gallbladder Healthy
Since the production and storage of bile takes place within the liver and gallbladder, it is important to keep these organs healthy. Some tips for optimal liver and gallbladder health include:
Eating a balanced diet: Consuming foods high in fiber and low in refined carbohydrates, sugar, and saturated fats
Exercising regularly: Physical activity helps reduce liver fat and improve gallbladder function
Drinking water: Keeping yourself hydrated by drinking adequate amounts of water each day is essential for gallbladder health
Avoiding toxins: Toxins from smoke, chemicals, insecticides, and additives can injure liver cells
A Quick Review
Bile is an important fluid in your body that helps with digestion, among other functions. Your liver produces bile, your bile ducts carry bile to other organs, and your gallbladder stores the bile. When your biliary system is functioning normally, the production and flow of bile are healthy. But certain conditions can affect the health of your bile—such as bile duct cancer and cholangitis. Fortunately, lifestyle habits like eating well, exercising, and drinking water can lower the risk of these conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to bile if you don't eat?
When you're not eating, your bile gets stored in the gallbladder for future use. Your gallbladder can hold approximately 30 to 80 milliliters of bile.
What does bile in the stool look like?
When your bile is functioning properly, bile gives your poop its brown color. But, your poop might look green or clay-colored if there are any abnormalities in the production and flow of bile.
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