Chinese Woman Skips Breakfast For 8 Years, Develops 200 Gallstones

A 45-year old Chinese woman had developed 200 gallstones in her stomach, and the doctors say the reason could be that she skipped breakfast regularly for 8 years. Ms Chen, the patient started having stomach aches but refused to report due to fear of surgery. She was admitted to Guangji Hospital, in Hezhou, China, where on further examination it was revealed that she had a number of gallstones. Experts believe they built up over the years. A team of doctors operated on the patient and removed gallstones from her gallbladder and bile ducts. Some of the stones were as big as an egg.

The head surgeon, Dr Quanwei Wei, said that the gallstones could have been an effect of this lady's habit of skipping breakfast. If someone does not eat their breakfast, it stops their gall bladder from shrinking or expanding, which leads to accumulation of bile. This could have led to her astonishing number of gallstones.

Gallstones are generally small in size, and are made up of cholesterol. They can cause severe pain and discomfort. A chemical imbalance in the bile can lead to formation of such gallstones. The surgeon stated that avoiding breakfast can not only worsen the condition but can also catalyse it.

One of the simplest measure one can take to prevent gallstones is to adhere to a proper diet schedule. We might not feel the consequences of skipping meals at the time, but that might leave our bodies in a very malnourished and detrimental state.