Drunkorexics skip meals for alcohol

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Women are skipping meals more and more in order to drink alcohol and remain slim in an alarming new phenomenon known as 'drunkorexia'.



In order to keep their daily calorie intake to a minimum, young women – particularly at university - are now swapping an evening meal for a large glass of wine or two, after growing pressure to stay slim.



According to experts the habit has become widespread in America and is increasingly common in Britain. Some slimming clubs which count calories in every food item, aiming to keep to a daily calorie limit, could encourage the new phenomenon, say doctors.



Professor Janet Treasure, the head of the eating disorder unit at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, said the new ritual was extremely dangerous and was combining binge drinking and muddled eating patterns.



'They get fully hooked, it is an extremely noxious thing. It is more common with bulimia than anorexia but you get the combination of empty calories with no nutritional value and the risky behaviour that goes with being drunk.'



Alcohol contains more calories than carbs or protein with one small glass of wine containing 150 to 170 calories. Therefore a large pub glass of wine (usually 250ml) would hold as many calories as an average light lunch.



Susan Price, the spokesman for the British Dietetic Association, said skipping meals and replacing food with alcohol was a very unwise way to lose weight and stay healthy.



'You are more likely to be binge drinking. What you should do is eat a healthy balanced diet and choose low calorie mixers and non-alcohol low calorie soft drinks.'

Tuesday 18 March 2008

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