E-Paper
Drunkorexia afflicts young college girls
Young women in the US are cutting calories from food in order to binge drink, a research has found. Researchers from the University of Missouri questioned college students and found that 16% of those surveyed reported restricting calories to "save them" for drinking.
Young women in the US are cutting calories from food in order to binge drink, a research has found. Researchers from the University of Missouri questioned college students and found that 16% of those surveyed reported restricting calories to "save them" for drinking.
The phenomenon known as 'drunkorexia' is most common among university students.
The practice is three times more common among women than men, with women reporting they want to lose weight and spend less money getting drunk, the Daily Mail reported.
Victoria Osborne, assistant professor of social work and public health said the practice was a toxic combination causing physical and mental damage and putting women at risk of alcoholism.
"Together, they can cause short and long-term cognitive problems including difficulty concentrating, studying and making decisions," she was quoted as saying by the paper.
Combining starvation and binge drinking puts young women at risk of developing more serious eating disorders or alcohol abuse problems, the researchers said.
