The gallbladder is a sac like organ lies under the liver on the right side of the body. It acts as a reservoir until bile is needed in the small intestine to digest fats. This need is triggered by a hormone called cholecystokinin, that is released when food enters the small intestine. Cholecystokinin then signals the gallbladder to contract and deliver bile into the intestine. The force of the contraction shoots the bile back down the common bile duct and into the small intestine, then it breaks down fatty molecules. This part of the process allows the broken down fatty molecules along with fat absorbed nutrients to pass through the lining into the blood stream. If this process doesn't work, a person develops gallstones.
