One of the many functions of the liver is its production of bile. Bile plays an important role in the digestion of food, and the gallbladder is the organ that functions as storage for bile.

Many conditions can alter the composition of the bile making it more prone to forming stones. Some of these influences include family history or genetics, obesity, older age, rapid weight loss, hormones, medications and certain intestinal disorders. There are well over 26 million people in the United States with gallstones; however, the majority of them will never develop symptoms. It is estimated that about 10 to 20 percent of the individuals...