[A mass study of hepatobiliary system function in workers and collective farmers in southern Tadzhikistan]

A total of 4085 persons living in the Parkhar District of Kulyab Province of the Tadzhik SSR underwent examination for the cholelithiasis incidence among 3 large groups (Koreans, Tadzhiks and Uzbeks) populating that territory. It has been established that as compared with Tadzhiks and Uzbeks, cholelithiasis turned out to occur rarely in Korean women. This is likely to be due to the metabolism of bile acids in the liver, the lack of genetic predisposition, noticeable disorders in the kinetics of the gallbladder as well as to the presence in the diet of the Korean community of a large amount of food plant fiber and soybean products which ameliorate to a certain degree the chemical composition of the bile and enhance the kinetics of the gallbladder.