Surgeons removed more than 200 stones from a woman's body in China, claiming they were likely caused by her regularly skipping breakfast.
The stones, found in the woman's gallbladder and liver - some as big as an egg - were removed in a single operation at Guangji Hospital in Hezhou, reports the Daily Mail.
The operation took place last week and lasted six and a half hours, however, doctors in the UK have refuted the claim that the stones could be caused by the woman skipping breakfast for over a decade.
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Credit: Hezhou Guangji Hospital General Surgery
Credit: Hezhou Guangji Hospital General Surgery
Credit: Hezhou Guangji Hospital General Surgery
Dr George Webster, the vice president of the British Society of Gastroenterology, told the Daily Mail that implying that dietary habits had caused gallstones or liver stones would be 'pure speculation, with no scientific evidence base to support it'.
Adding that stones in the gallbladder, as well as the ducts in the liver, were a common problem worldwide with the reason often unclear.
The patient has been named as 45-year-old Ms Chen, with doctors saying she had frequently ate leftovers and took her meals at irregular hours.
Credit: Hezhou Guangji Hospital General Surgery
Credit: Hezhou Guangji Hospital General Surgery
She was advised to undergo surgery after medics discovered the stones, however she initially refused to go under the knife, only ceding to their advice after her abdominal pain had become 'unbearable'.
According to NHS, people who are overweight and over 40 years old, especially females, are more likely to suffer from gallstones - with weight-loss also suspected to cause the condition.
But Dr Quan Xuwei, one of the surgeons involved in the operation, said that rushing or skipping breakfast could have caused the stones.
Featured Image Credit: Hezhou Guangji Hospital General SurgeryTopics: Doctor, Surgery, Breakfast