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Nature Medicine 14, 715–716 (1 July 2008) | doi:10.1038/nm0708-715

Chipping away at gallstones

Folkert Kuipers & Albert K Groen

Age, female gender and obesity are well-known risk factors for cholesterol gallstone disease, which has an incidence of up to 15% in the Western world. The association between gallstones and obesity is likely to reflect an association with the metabolic syndrome, a highly prevalent condition characterized by insulin resistance (insensitivity of target organs and tissues to the actions of insulin), elevated plasma lipid levels, hypertension and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.