Dietary risk factors have been implicated in thedevelopment of cholelithiasis. The aim of this study wasto determine in a homogeneous French population whethera particular type of diet may be lithogenic. Seventy-six subjects over 30 years of age (26men, 50 women) with cholelithiasis detected byultrasound were selected from a population sample of 830subjects by drawing lots using the polling list. These were matched by 76 control subjects withoutcholelithiasis randomly selected from the samepopulation. Univariate analysis was significant for ahigh calorie diet >2500 kcal/day (OR = 3.62, P =0.0065), a diet rich in carbohydrates with a consumption55 g/day (OR = 2.98, P = 0.0067), and a diet rich intotal lipids (OR = 4,97, P = 0.023) or saturated fattyacids (OR = 3.06, P = 0.0146). An alcohol consumption equivalent to 20-40 g/day was protective (P =0.018). Multivariate analysis confirmed these results.Our study suggests that a change in dietary habits bylimiting excess calories, saturated fats and carbohydrates could reduce the incidence ofcholelithiasis.