British researchers have found doing lots of exercise drastically cuts the risk of developing painful gallstones. A University of East Anglia study of 25,000 men and women found those who were the most active had a 70 per cent reduced risk of those complaints. The team, writing in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, said one reason might be reduced cholesterol levels in the bile. They said exercise also raised levels of "good" cholesterol and help improves movement through the gut, all of which could contribute to the lowered risk. Those taking part in the study were split into four groups depending on how much exercise they did and the researchers found that those who did moderate amounts of exercise also had a lower risk of painful symptoms from gallstones than those who were the most inactive. Using the same data the researchers had previously discovered that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol is protective against gallstones. The earlier study showed consuming two units a day cuts the chance of developing gallstones by a third.