One in 10 women has eating disorder

More than 10 per cent of women in a new study regularly binge eat and many show signs of bulimia

More than one in 10 women who took part in Canadian study admitted that they binge eat on a regular basis.

In addition, 2.5 per cent of women said they vomit, use laxatives or use diuretics to maintain their figure.

None of the 1,500 women questioned had been diagnosed as having an eating disorder.

The average age of the women was 35. They are all urban, and the majority were university graduates.

Lise Gauvin, a professor at the Université de Montréal Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, decribed the results as 'disquieting'.

'Women are exposed to many contradictory messages. They are encouraged to lose weight yet also encouraged to eat for the simple pleasure of it.'

The telephone survey found that 13.7 per cent of women admitted to binge eating between one and seven times a month, reports the Telegraph.

More than a quarter of women said they exercised intensely with the sole objective of losing weight.

'Our data suggests that a proportion of the female population displays maladaptive eating patterns,' said Dr Gauvin. CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES