What Are Bile Salts & Do You Need To Take a Bile Salts Supplement?

Some say you are what you eat. I say you are what you digest and absorb. You may eat a terrific diet. Unfortunately, if you are not producing enough bile you may not be digesting food properly. Your body may not be breaking down fats either. This is especially true if you notice pale, floating stools or experience gout and digestive upset after eating fatty meals. This is a blaring indicator you have a bile deficiency. The good news is that taking bile salts supplements can help. 

Part of the acid in your stomach is bile, a yellow-green liquid secreted from your liver. This solution contains organic solutes that play a role in immune, cognitive, and even hormonal health. Inadequate bile production can lead to nutrient deficiencies, especially fat-soluble ones such as vitamins D, A, E, and K. This often happens if you have had your gallbladder removed. A history of gallstones or high cholesterol can also cause reduced bile production.

Improving bile production can improve digestive dilemmas. The best way to do that is with a bile salts supplement. Before I get into that, let me explain what bile salts are.

What Are Bile Salts?

Your liver produces between 500–600 milliliters of bile every day (2). Bile is a thick, yellowish-green liquid made of water, cholesterol, and minerals. It also contains phospholipids, bile acids, and bilirubin. When you are not digesting food, your body stores bile in the gallbladder for later use.

So, what are bile salts? Bile salts are one of the main organic compounds found in bile production. Are bile acid and bile salt one in the same? While some use the term interchangeably, there is a slight difference. Bile salts go through a few different processes to help you digest food. The first is primary bile salts. Liver cells called hepatocytes create primary bile salts using cholesterol. These then bind to sodium or potassium ions. Next, they either remain as primary bile salts or change into other types of bile salts.

Some primary bile salts interact with intestinal bacteria. This bacteria may remove certain atoms from one of the bile salt molecules. When this happens, you now have a secondary bile salt. The third type of bile salts attract glycine or taurine amino acids. When these amino acids attach to bile salts, they create conjugated bile salts. Conjugated bile salts play one of the most important roles in digesting fat.

Bile Salts Function

As I mentioned earlier, one of the main bile salts functions is breaking down fats. It also helps you absorb fat-soluble vitamins. When you eat a fatty meal, hormones signal your gallbladder to release bile, enzymes, and other secretions from the bile ducts. The bile waits for the food in the duodenum at the beginning of your small intestine. 

They also help emulsify fats and oils. This is important since your gut is a water-based environment. Typically, water and oil do not mix. However, bile salts are amphipathic. This means that they have both fat and water-soluble properties. This enables them to blend fats and oils in the gut so digestive enzymes such as lipase can break them down (3). This is how bile salts manage and recycle cholesterol in the body.

Another important bile salt function is waste removal. Whatever your body does not need, bile salts help form what is left into fecal matter. Your stool consists of water, microbes, and organic material. Much of this organic material takes on the form of undigested proteins and fats. One study even found nine different microplastics in stool samples (4). Your stool also escorts cholesterol and toxins out of your body. This prevents it from entering your bloodstream and wreaking havoc on your health. 

Bile production is a critical component for healthy digestion. Without it, your body would have a much harder time absorbing certain nutrients. One example is vitamins A, D, E, and K. If your liver does not create the bile acids and bile salts, toxins can build up in your body. Bile production also supports healthy blood flow. This can help reduce inflammation of the bile ducts. This promotes healthier liver and gallbladder function.

Signs You May Need a Bile Salt Supplement

How do you know if you are suffering from an acute case of bloating and gas or if it is time to add in a bile salt supplement? While some digestive issues can be tricky to pinpoint, others are red flags that something is off. If you have a bile salts deficiency, you may notice specific symptoms that remain persistent. 

For example, some of the most common signs you may need a bile salt supplement include:

• Bloating and discomfort after fatty meals: If you are on the keto or other high-fat diet and feel gassy and bloated after meals, you may have a bile salt deficiency.

• Fat malabsorption or pale stools: Pale stools indicate your body is not metabolizing fats as it should. This can point to poor bile production and the need for a bile salt supplement.

• Deficiency in fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K): Your body uses these fat-soluble vitamins to support eye, skin, and immune health. If your bloodwork shows that you are deficient in vitamins A, D, E, or K, you may not be producing enough bile salts.

• High cholesterol: Bile production assists in cholesterol management. Inadequate bile production makes it harder to recycle cholesterol in the body. This can lead to an excess in the bloodstream, which will show up as high cholesterol on lab work.

• Gallstones: A lack of adequate bile flow can lead to a buildup of hardened bile, thus contributing to bile reflux. Whether you have cholesterol stones or pigment stones, these can block bile ducts and cause pain and inflammation.

• Gallbladder removal: If you have had gallbladder surgery, your body has a harder time storing bile for digestion. Taking bile salts helps act as your gallbladder by providing the bile salts and other nutrients needed to break down fats and increase nutrient absorption.

Talk with your functional medicine provider before trying a bile salt supplement. They may also be able to address some of the potential root causes of low bile production. For example, some people had their gallbladder surgically removed. This can make it difficult to store bile. Liver disease or toxin overload also makes it harder to synthesize bile salts.

The Benefits of Taking a Bile Salt Supplement

One of the reasons you might consider a bile salt supplement is if your gallbladder is not functioning optimally. Those predisposed to gallstones may also benefit from taking a bile salt supplement. Gallstones develop when cholesterol and other materials crystallize. These hardened substances can then stick to the inner lining of the gallbladder. Over time, they can become painful and may need surgical removal. Bile salts function to help break down cholesterol before it hardens (5). 

A lesser-known benefit of bile salts is how they promote optimal gut function. Bile salts carry antimicrobial properties. This helps prevent the overgrowth of gram-positive bacteria in the gut. They also help control the size and composition of intestinal microbiota. Taking a bile salt supplement can enhance digestion by balancing the good and bad bacteria in the gut (6).

Bile salt supplements also support detoxification of the liver. Remember, bile production helps flush out waste products. Studies also suggest liver cells also stimulate glutathione production and boost detoxification (7). Adding a bile salt supplement may improve non-fatty liver disease or cystic fibrosis in some people.

I mentioned earlier that bile salts help remove toxins from the body. This happens on a cellular level, including liver cells. Bile production acts as a protective mechanism against harmful pathogens. Its “physico-chemical defense system” breaks down viruses covered in lipoprotein. In effect, it acts as a powerful defense against toxin buildup. 

If you want to know how to safely detox your liver, bile production plays a major role in the process. Since bile salts assist in flushing out toxins, maintaining optimal bile production can support your liver function.

Introducing Bile Builder Complete

There are numerous benefits to adding a bile salt supplement. However, it is equally important to have the right ingredients. Some supplements may only contain one or two ingredients. This limits the impact it could have. 

I formulated Bile Builder Complete as a simple yet effective way to support liver and gallbladder function. If you do not have a gallbladder, this has a similar effect on the body, promoting bile production for cellular protection and detoxification. 

Inside you will find a proprietary blend of ox bile, L-taurine, and L-glycine that activates healthy bile production from the liver, encouraging the healthy breakdown of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. This is vital to brain, hormone, and cellular health. It also protects liver cells against infections and sepsis.

In addition, this bile salt supplement contains dandelion and burdock root extract. Both of these herbs are famous for their liver-supporting properties. These easy-to-take capsules give you all the essential nutrients for total digestive support.

Improve Digestion and Nutrient Absorption

I always say two phrases: your gut is the gateway to your health and you are what you digest and absorb. Part of proper digestion means your body is adequately absorbing nutrients. A large part of this is keeping your liver and gallbladder healthy. Bile salts are a key player when it comes to digestive, cognitive, and hormonal health. 

If you want to support detoxification and digestion, Bile Builder Complete is for you. Simply take two capsules before a meal to encourage healthy bile production. This protects and defends your body against pathogens, viruses, and toxins, as well as supports healthy gut function and nutrient absorption. It also facilitates healthy cholesterol metabolism and detoxification. 

Take control of your digestive health with Bile Builder Complete today!