Gallstones

The risk of gallstones increases with adult weight. Risk of either gallstones or cholecystectomy is as high as 20 per 1,000 women per year when BMI is above 40, compared with 3 per 1,000 among women with BMI < 24 (14).

According to NHANES III data, the prevalence of gallstone disease among women increased from 9.4 percent in the first quartile of BMI to 25.5 percent in the fourth quartile of BMI. Among men, the prevalence of gallstone disease increased from 4.6 percent in the first quartile of BMI to 10.8 percent in the fourth quartile of BMI (15).