A new study looks at the effects of young people restricting the number of calories they take in daily, and then binge drink.
Drunkorexia is a term coined by the media in the last few years to describe the behavior of eating less, and drinking more, with the intent of not gaining weight. A University of Missouri Assistant Professor studied this. Dr. Victoria Osborne says there wasn’t a lot of research for her to build on. She says she found a number of people who are in their 40s who say they engaged in this behavior while in college, so she is led to believe this is nothing new.
She says there are short-term problems when a person drinks alcohol without eating enough, because the alcohol has a stronger effect. Not only does this kind of behavior have the short-term consequences of terrible health and the risks that come with binge drinking, but there are long-term mental affects too. She says disordered eating habits such as this one can lead to full eating disorders, which are difficult to cure. She says it could also lead to anxiety and depression, as well as alcohol dependency and abuse, which have been linked to eating disorders.
She says there are few support systems for those who do this, and because it is seen as “common” on college campuses, many people don’t seek help for it. She says if there were more educational efforts by universities or local health agencies, perhaps fewer people would do it.
(AUDIO) Allison Blood reports Mp3 [1:03]