Talk about a cautionary tale.
Many of us skip breakfast or have, at the most, a cup of coffee and a cereal bar. Well, this may just make you reach for a bowl of porridge.
A woman in China – who had admitted to rarely eating breakfast over the last ten years – had to have more than 200 stones removed from her body due to the crippling pain she was in.
Surgeons at Guangji Hospital in Hezou found over 200 stones – some the size of eggs – in the woman’s liver and gallbladder and they believe that a poor diet, and the woman’s refusal to eat breakfast for over a decade, were at the centre of her problems.
She is thought to have mainly eaten takeaway food and leftovers.
Stones form in many overweight people over the age of 40 and are said to be comprised mainly of cholesterol that forms in organs and leads to serious abdominal pain. The woman had first complained of those pains 12 years ago.
Those who suffer from gallstones in particular often skip or rush their breakfasts, causing the gallbladder to stop shrinking and expanding. It then allows bile to build up and added cholesterol and calcium to form.
These healthy food guidelines from the HSE are handy for anyone looking to make improvements to their diet.
