Gallstones can cause significant discomfort and may lead to severe abdominal pain, bloating, indigestion, and persistent nausea if left untreated. Although the condition often seems to develop unexpectedly, gallstones usually form gradually as a result of multiple underlying factors, including certain lifestyle and dietary habits.

Sharing insights on X, internal medicine specialist Dr Priyam Bordoloi drew attention to a common everyday behaviour that may substantially increase the risk of gallstone formation. To raise awareness, he asked readers to identify which routine habit has the strongest scientific association with developing gallstones. The options included consuming excessive spicy foods, regularly skipping meals, drinking chilled water, and eating dinner late at night.

In another post, the doctor explained why skipping meals frequently causes growth of gallstones. When we eat, our gut releases a hormone called CCK (Cholecystokinin) - this hormone makes the gallbladder release a bile which helps us digits the food. When you skip meals, there’s no food to trigger that CCK release.

When meals are skipped for long periods, the digestive system does not receive the hormonal signals that normally trigger the gallbladder to contract. As a result, the gallbladder remains inactive instead of releasing bile into the intestine to aid digestion.

With little or no movement of bile, the fluid begins to collect and remain inside the gallbladder, a condition known as biliary stasis. If this persists for extended periods, the cholesterol present in the bile becomes increasingly concentrated. Over time, the thickened bile can form sludge, which may gradually harden into gallstones, increasing the risk of painful gallbladder disease.

What Are Some Symptoms Of Gallstones?

According to an article published on Mayo Clinic, these are some symptoms of gallstones in your body:

Intense pain in the upper right portion of your abdomen.
You may also experience agony in the centre of your abdomen just below your breastbone.
A dull pain between your shoulder blades.
Pain in your right shoulder
Nausea and vomiting.