In 2008, CBS News coined the term “drunkorexia” to describe the practice of restricting calorie consumption prior to consuming alcohol for the main purpose of avoiding weight gain; something that the L.A. Times pronounced a “growing trend” among college students.
Since the coining, researchers across the U.S. have focused on understanding the correlation between binge drinking and disordered eating behaviors. A recent Southeastern University study found that 19 percent of students engage in regular binge drinking, consuming 68 percent of total alcohol consumed. While the study did not find a significant difference in male versus female drunkorexia, the study quotes a 1990 study, which found that dehydrogenase was 70 percent to 80 percent higher in non-alcoholic men than non-alcoholic women.
This difference in alcoholic metabolism makes women more vulnerable to the development of liver disease, brain damage and other alcohol-related issues.
The study highlighted first year college students as “high risk” suspects to peer pressures that can lead to drunkorexic behavior.
