Is olive oil bad for your gallbladder?
No. Dr. Martin counts olive oil among the good fats, the ones he wants your gallbladder to get.
Reading from the good fats chart in his book:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 552Butter, tallow, lard, palm oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, those are good oils. So, you want a healthy gallbladder, use it, and use it with the right oils.
On vegetarians and vegans, who often skip animal fat:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 572They might have some olive oil. That's good. No problem with that either, but your gallbladder was made for animal fat.
So olive oil is not the villain. He just wants it next to butter, eggs and meat, not in place of them.
Why does your gallbladder need fat?
Because handling fat is its whole job. Your gallbladder holds the bile your body uses to break fat down.
He explains it like this:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 552Your gallbladder is a storage center for bile. You need cholesterol to make bile. And, it's a reservoir for that bile. What does bile do? Okay. So you know this, bile emulsifies fat.
He compares bile to dish soap picking up grease. Eat almost no fat, and that bile just sits there.
Which is why he turns the usual advice around:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 577Remember you don't get gallstones because you're eating too much fat. You get gallstones because you're not eating enough fat.
He calls it use it or lose it. The pattern he sees before gallbladder trouble is years of low-fat eating, chicken and salad day after day.
"So, you were given a gallbladder for a reason. Use it, you'll be healthier."
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 552Then why can fat bring on gallbladder pain?
Two reasons. A gallbladder that sat idle for years can protest when fat comes back, and one with stones or sludge needs care.
On people who start eating bacon and eggs again after years of low fat:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 552And, the gallbladder's going, "Holy moly." I've gone years without use, and now you're using me, and sometimes you can stir that pot, but your gallbladder is so important.
A listener named Jackie asked if fats are okay with some upper right pain, possibly her gallbladder:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1670Well, you got to be careful with gallbladder. Are you forming stones? Have you got gallbladder sludge? Be careful.
He does not single out olive oil. His caution covers any fat once the gallbladder is struggling, olive oil included.
Is olive oil OK if you have gallbladder problems?
A little, yes. What he warns against is a lot of fat at once while things settle.
His rule for now:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1461And by the way, temporarily, you just can't eat a lot of fat if your gallbladder's not working properly.
And when you start adding fat back:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1035Well, look, you gotta be careful. You just start using your gallbladder again, introducing fats, but very slowly if you have stones, okay?
Answering a listener about her gallbladder, he added this tip:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1242And I would take a little bit of lubrication oil, like a little bit of either coconut oil or olive oil too.
Eggs still fit, he says, but go easy on bacon and the fatty cuts of meat for a while. See how many eggs a day he thinks are fine for seniors.
Does an olive oil and lemon flush work?
He is not sold on it. He never told anyone not to try, but he did not back it either.
On the flush tricks people find online:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 577Now, there's some tricks online about using olive oil and lemon or something like that. I don't know. You want to try it, try it. I don't know. Does it work? I don't know.
In episode 1461 he said he had no problem with people trying it, but never found it as consistent as taking the pressure off your gallbladder. If you know you have stones, talk to your doctor before you try any flush. A moving stone can get stuck, the danger he warns about below.
Is canola oil good for your gallbladder?
No, in his view. Canola belongs with the man-made seed oils he blames for so much gallbladder disease.
His list of the bad fats:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 920Now there are bad fats and they come in the form of either trans fats or oils that were made for your car and not for your body seed oils, canola oil, safflower oil, soy oil. All those oils are bad.
In episode 552 he read out a study headline about these polyunsaturated oils, PUFAs for short, turning up in the wall of the gallbladder. He says restaurants fry in them and the middle aisles of the grocery store are full of them.
"People are losing their stinking gallbladders because of the wrong fat."
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 552Which oil is best for your gallbladder?
Butter, he says, with olive oil close behind. Avocado oil and coconut oil are on his good list too.
Talking about butter on his Reset, he ranked the two:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 692The best oil is butter. It's better than olive oil. Okay? I like olive oil, I do. I do. I like olive oil. It's a good oil. You can cook with it.
When you shop, he says to get extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil in a dark bottle, kept out of the light.
What else takes pressure off your gallbladder?
Not eating at night. It is the first thing he names for any gallbladder trouble.
His key tip:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 572One of the key things, when you have any kind of gallbladder issue, don't eat at night.
He suggests finishing your food by five or six o'clock, with no snacks after. If you can, a 14 to 16 hour stretch without food is better still. On blood sugar medicine? Ask your doctor before you fast that long. Read more on intermittent fasting after 60, and if reflux bothers you too, what he says helps painful acid reflux.
When is gallbladder pain an emergency?
When a stone gets stuck. Food choices are for the long run, not for a gallbladder attack that will not let up.
Asked if surgery is the only way, he said he would not stand in your way if your doctor says it must come out:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 721Look, sometimes gallbladders get so diseased. You don't want the stone getting caught in your duct. That could be very dangerous.
Severe pain under your right ribs that does not let up, pain with a fever, or yellow skin or eyes needs help right away. Call 911 or go to the ER.
Where can you hear his full talk on good fats and bad oils?
Episode 552 is the full talk: his good fats chart, the seed oils he blames, and why he says to use your gallbladder.
Common questions
Can you have olive oil if you have no gallbladder?
He says you can still eat fat without one, because your liver makes the bile and the gallbladder only stores it. You may need to take it a little easier until your body adjusts. Episode 593.
Why do women get more gallbladder problems?
He gives two reasons. Many women avoided fat for years, and progesterone matters for smooth muscle like the gallbladder, so low progesterone can play a part. Episodes 721 and 1670. More on hormones: estrogen dominance after 60.
Does high cholesterol cause gallstones?
No, he says. Stones are partly made of cholesterol, but he does not blame high cholesterol for them. It comes back to use it or lose it. Episode 693. See also normal cholesterol for a woman over 60.
For the meals that sit heavy
Dr. Martin wants butter, eggs and olive oil back on your plate. If a richer meal leaves you feeling stuffed for hours, Ultra Digest-All is the enzyme product from the clinic shop: three distinct digestive enzyme blends, made to support natural digestion.
60-day money-back guarantee. Gallbladder pain that is new, sharp or keeps coming back goes to your doctor before anything else.
