Bile Acids Vary Wildly Between People, Study Shows

Scientists studied bile acids in nearly a thousand Swedish adults. They found huge differences from person to person. Some acids varied over a thousand times between individuals. The research team used advanced lab tools to measure 24 different bile acids in blood samples.

Men and women showed distinct patterns. Men had higher levels of certain unconjugated acids. Age and body weight linked to lower amounts of taurine-linked acids. Time of day caused only small shifts in a few compounds.

Lifestyle choices mattered more than expected. Smoking stood out as the strongest factor. Both self-reported smoking and blood cotinine tests pointed to the same changes. Nicotine users had more murideoxycholic acid but fewer conjugated bile acids. Alcohol use and ancestry showed weaker connections.

These results give doctors new reference ranges for healthy adults. They also flag key variables that could skew future tests. Researchers must account for sex, age, weight, and habits when using bile acids as health markers.