Library · Physiology
Gallbladder function
Make it clearer
Bile is made by the liver, not the gallbladder. What the gallbladder does is store it between meals and release it once digestion gets going. From there the bile travels through the bile ducts, the plumbing that carries it to the small intestine.
Think of it as a tank with a valve in one plumbing system: one part fills it, another holds it and opens at just the right moment, and the pipes are the route. The liver and the gallbladder sit along that same route, which is why people mix them up, but each has a different job: one makes the bile, the other decides when it comes out.
In brief
Between meals, the gallbladder stores bile produced by the liver.
During digestion, the gallbladder releases that bile. The bile then travels through the bile ducts until it reaches the small intestine.
The liver and gallbladder play different roles along the same digestive pathway: the liver makes bile, and the gallbladder controls when it is released into the small intestine during digestion.
Sources (1)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesYour Digestive System & How It Works
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated