Experts warn Drunkorexia epidemic is on the rise

The colloquial term ‘drunkorexia’ is probably unfamiliar with some people as it is not technically a medical diagnostic term, but it is one that may become better known in time as the problem threatens to escalate.

Although the term is relatively new, this increasingly serious condition is not. It seems more of us are inflicting a self-imposed torturous starvation and/ or are putting ourselves through overly excessive exercising, with experts warning a higher number of people are now skipping meals, depriving themselves of food in order to ‘save’ the calories for an episode of binge drinking later in the day.

It is believed that more and more women in particularly are drastically reducing their food intake so they can drink more wine. Dieticians coined the term ‘drunkorexia’ due to the fact they believe that their work with clients demonstrates an association between binge drinking and eating disorders.
Psychologists claim it is the labels on the drinks that list the alcohol’s high number of calories is partly to blame for encouraging those with eating disorders to ditch food for drink. The disorder therefore means those who ‘save’ on food calories are drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, something ill-advised as it massively amplifies the effects of alcohol.

Adrienne Key, consultant psychiatrist at the Priory Hospital, says that although the advertising of alcoholic calorie content is in the interest of most people, it can have dire consequences for those suffering with an eating disorder.

Speaking on Monday, she said: “Displaying calorie content on alcoholic drinks has been counterproductive for a small but significant proportion of society. When I started in the profession 20 years ago you would hardly hear of calorie swapping like this. But now we come about it fairly regularly. People who have not eaten will say, “I’m saving myself for a glass of wine. People are more likely now to use this as a method to control dietary intake in a disordered way.”

Despite the fact that alcohol itself doesn’t contain any fat in it, it is loaded with ‘empty’ calories with no nutritional value to the human body. Add mixers like Coca-Cola into the equation and it is easy to see how the calories start accumulating, and fast.

Whilst it is responsible to be conscious about the amount of alcohol calories going into your body – and possibly using an alcohol unit calculator to do this – it is not responsible to miss out on healthy, nutritional meals, not providing your body with energy, vitamins and minerals it so sorely requires.
Charity workers say the issue of ‘drunkorexia’ could also be afflicting men, despite the fact that it is women who are more likely to speak about the problem.

Susan Ringwood, from eating disorders charity Beat said that ‘drunkorexia’ is also likely to affect those that have not been previously diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Speaking to The Times, she commented: “We do see these cases, particularly when people are binge drinking at the weekend. It is not necessarily an eating disorder, but it is a disordered approach towards eating and people can easily find themselves trapped by it. If you are trying to live off one or two hundred calories a day, people find it easier to consume small amount of alcohol and briefly feel better than eat food.”

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy are now able to actually help those with alcohol addiction through the alcohol dependency treatment Selincro (nalmefene). This medication is suited for people who are heavy drinkers, but don’t require immediate detoxification, and whom have a high level of alcohol consumption 2 weeks after the first consultation with the doctor. This is defined as more than 60g of alcohol per day for men or more than 40g of alcohol per day for women. The great news for those who are prescribed it is that there is no risk of becoming dependent on Selincro.

Selincro’s active ingredient nalmefene works by latching onto certain opioid receptors in the brain that are responsible for addictive behaviour, altering their activity, thereby decreasing the urge to continue drinking.

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy inundated for Selincro requests for Dry January

Now that the festive work office party, Black Friday, Christmas and New Year’s Eve are firmly out of the way, many will now be taking stock of exactly how much alcohol they have drank during the last few weeks, with some people undoubtedly thinking about cutting down on drinking.

With the beginning of a New Year, there is never a better time than now to put into action the process of reducing alcohol intake, or even stopping drinking for good, and much of the country will no doubt have ‘cut down on boozing’ near the top of their list of resolutions. Another popular choice of resolution is ‘lose weight’ and reducing alcohol intake can actually help to reach this goal due to the high amount of calories in alcohol.

In addition to January being the month when the nation usually kick-starts their resolutions, the first month of the year is also known as ‘Dry January’ due to the annual campaign of the same name, pioneered by the small national charity Alcohol Concern, who challenge all drinkers to abstain from booze for the entire 31 days of January.

Yes, that means no quick cheeky pint after work with colleagues, or an ‘unwinding’ glass of wine with an evening meal, or a heavy session out on the town with mates. It should be remembered though that this is an awareness raising campaign and a fundraiser for Alcohol Concern. It is not a medical detox programme and those with severe drinking problems may need to go to a hospital or clinic to detox as the withdrawal symptoms will be severe and probably require specialist treatment.
For those that do undertake the Dry January challenge, there will be plenty of benefits to be felt in the short-term. Abstainers could look forward to better sleep, weight loss, a boost in skin and hair quality, and let’s not forget all the money saved from not spending it on alcohol – just think of all the other things that can be bought with the extra pennies! As it is only a month off the booze, it is unlikely that any major change in liver function will occur in the 31 days though.

However, everybody needs a break at times, and the human body is no different. Therefore, Medical Specialists® Pharmacy encourage the nation to get on board with Dry January and it may even have a positive effect to future drinking habits. Research has shown that those who successfully complete the challenge actually manage to cut down on their drinking in the future, drinking less alcohol each day, getting into a drunken state less frequently and having more willpower to be able to say “no” to having an alcoholic drink.

It is not just members of the general public though that are seemingly embracing Dry January. One famous face has surprisingly decided to test himself and see if he go 31 days without any alcohol. UKip leader Nigel Farage is the famous face in question, deciding to go teetotal for the first month of the year.

Farage is possibly the most surprising celebrity banishing the booze for a month considering the controversial politician – even during campaigning – is often snapped joyously at the pub with a glass of ale in his hand, perhaps helping his image as a more approachable and jolly party leader. However, like many of us, Farage has admitted to a season of overindulgence and has now temporarily given up drink. Speaking to Sky News, he said: “I started before the New Year. I’m not being particularly virtuous, it’s just I need a break. It does us all good to have a break now and then.”

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy are fully behind the Dry January campaign, and have already witnessed a huge surge in the requests for alcohol dependency treatment Selincro during the last few weeks especially, as thousands around the country prepare for a dry month. However, we understand that this can be difficult for some to achieve without some motivation, which is why Alcohol Concern have provided a unit calculator on their website. All people need to do is tally up the number of drinks they have consumed, say on a typical Friday or Saturday night out, and see the probable alarming number of units and calories this equates to. As many look to lose weight in the New Year following the Christmas excesses, seeing the shocking total calories that drinking adds will no doubt provide the final motivation to truly achieve a completely dry January!

Weight loss tips before the work Christmas party!

From today there are exactly six weeks until Christmas Day. The well-prepared amongst us may have already bought presents for loved ones to save on stress in the fortnight or so before the big day. However, many of us will suffering with some degree of stress about the work office party and trying to slim down to fit into that expensive dress or suit.

Let’s be realistic, as soon as December starts is when the majority of work Christmas parties will be taking place, not to mention being inundated to invites to other festive parties, leaving at the very most just four weeks until you need to shift those extra pounds, and five until you might be feeling your pants have become a little tighter!

For those looking to lose the last 8-10lbs in the next month, it might sound daunting and an impossible task, but it can be done. Although building lean muscle from workouts at the gym will help to a certain degree because muscle speeds up metabolism and burns fat, the majority of the weight loss will inevitably come from dietary improvements and a closer monitor of what is going onto your plate and the calories you are taking in.

Research conducted by XLS-Medical (creators of the popular weight loss aid XLS-Medical Fat Binder) in 2012 suggested that over half (51%) of the population would like to lose weight in the run-up to Christmas.

With this in mind, Medical Specialists® Pharmacy are providing some helpful weight loss tips that should enable people to shed those last few excess pounds before the dreaded Christmas party at work!

. Don’t skip breakfast

Make sure to fill yourself up at the start of the day with a well-balanced breakfast that consists mainly of carbohydrates and protein. This will help to keep hunger pangs at bay so you don’t gorge on junk food by dinner time. Your metabolic rate is slowed down as a result of not taking in any food during sleep and by eating breakfast, your metabolism will be awoken and revved for the rest of the day.

. Reduce sugar intake

A high sugar intake actually messes around with your blood-sugar levels, meaning the more you have, the more you crave it. Instead try substituting it where possible for natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, xylitol, coconut sugar or agave nectar.

. Drink plenty of water

Many times when we think we are hungry, we are actually thirsty, so it is important to stay hydrated. Numerous studies have been conducted that provide evidence to show that drinking water prior to or during a meal could help with weight loss – in conjunction with a calorie-controlled diet.

. Cut the caffeine

Try and reduce or cut out your caffeine intake. Caffeine can impact your insulin levels, increasing the craving sugar after the initial stimulation has vanished. For those unaware, insulin is the main fat storage hormone in our body.

. Boost protein intake

As most people are aware, protein is an absolute essential component of muscle building, and with more muscle comes more burning of fat. The healthier choices of protein include fish and seafood, lean meats (chicken breast or turkey) and eggs.

. Don’t forget liquid calories

The fact drinks can be quickly and easily taken in means that many people simply forget to consider the sometimes high number of calories in some drinks. For example, there are 139 calories in a 330ml can of coca-cola, which will quickly accumulate after a few cans each day. Consider ditching the sugary fizzy drink for a sparkling water with a slice of lemon and of course always remember about alcohol calories.

. Be more active

It shouldn’t be too difficult to manage to squeeze in one extra walk into your day. Fast walking is especially effective at burning calories. Use the stairs at work instead of the lift, if the weather is nice then go outside for a brisk walk on your lunch break, or even get off the bus one stop earlier than usual and walk the rest of the journey home. You should try to aim for walking at least 10,000 steps per day – not as difficult as it may seem!

. Consider high intensity exercise

Want to get fit and quick? It might be worth engaging in some high intensity interval training (or HIIT for short) exercises. HIIT exercises result in a big calorie burn within a short time period. Don’t be fooled though, HIIT workouts are far from easy and require you to give three or four times more effort in the 20 to 30 second bursts that such exercises are comprised of. The hard work here means your body is unable to bring in sufficient oxygen and a ‘debt’ is built up that must be accommodated for after exercising has finished so normality is resumed. This means your metabolism is boosted for hours after you leave the gym!

Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy explore the catastrophic health risks of alcohol abuse

It’s been a long, stressful day at the office, and for many people this means one thing – having a drink to ‘unwind’. Maybe a few pints at the pub with work mates is appealing after a gruelling day, or perhaps a few glasses of wine in the evening each night with a meal is how others choose to relax.

One or two drinks each evening may seem innocent enough and simply a customary part of one’s evening. After all, there is no harm in kicking back with a few beers each night after work right? Wrong…

There are multiple hidden dangers of long-term alcohol consumption, and what seems like a few harmless drinks every night is actually disastrous for the body – both inside and out.

Everybody knows about the staggering number calories contained in most alcoholic drinks. Simply put, those who consume alcohol are consuming empty calories with no nutritional value.

It may be shocking to learn that just a single glass of wine contains around the same number of calories contained in four cookies, and a pint of lager is roughly as calorie-laden as a slice of pizza.
For the heavier drinkers, it will be frightening to learn that the NHS Livewell website’s alcohol page states that just drinking five pints of lager each week can tally up to 44,200kcal over the course of a year – or eating about 221 doughnuts. This may go some way to explaining Homer Simpson’s rotund belly. After all, the Springfield native has a penchant for both beer and doughnuts!

It is suddenly easier to understand the role alcohol plays in the increasingly problematic UK obesity crisis and why the health problems linked to being overweight or obese are costing the NHS over £5 billion each and every year.

And alcohol plays a part in helping people to easily gain weight with its calorific nature. Maybe lager isn’t your preferred choice of tipple and surely wine is kinder on the waistline? Wrong again! Just two large glasses of white wine takes up about fifth of the recommended daily calorie intake for a woman. That could force people into a rethink before opening that second bottle of wine in the future.
In addition, alcohol is fat-sparing. This means that the body will look to burn it for its fuel source before fat. This means when alcohol is drank to excess of the body’s daily energy requirements, it suddenly becomes much more difficult for the body to burn up fat. Thus, more fat is stored, and weight is gained.

As well as weight gain, alcohol – in particularly alcohol abuse – is associated with a whole host of serious health problems. The NHS Change 4 Life’s alcohol’s hidden harms page provides both an excellent, and alarming list of health risks associated with alcohol.

For instance, regularly consuming alcohol above the lower risk guidelines can lead to cancers of the throat, oesophagus or larynx, breast cancer in women, high blood pressure, heart attack, a stroke, liver disease such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, pancreatitis and impaired fertility.

The impact to health extends beyond the deadly diseases. ‘Brewers droop’ may be a term laughed off amongst friends, as purely an isolated occurrence of male impotence from the result of drinking too much. However, alcohol usually always results in sexual problems in a relationship. For men, this equates to difficulty getting and sustaining an erection – even when sober. This is because short and long term of drinking too much alcohol can damage the body’s tissues. Most commonly affected are those in the brain, liver and nervous system, and often leaving the male with erectile dysfunction.
Male impotence can be disastrous for relationships and leave the man with a huge loss of self-esteem, confidence and can even lead to anxiety and depression. Depressed people often turn to alcohol to cope, but this is completely inadvisable.

Not only is alcohol a depressant, meaning you are probably going to end up more miserable than you started off, but then the potential weight gain and sexual dysfunction will only further increase the mental anxieties. Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy provide treatments for both weight gain (Xenical, XLS-Medical), and erectile dysfunction (Generic Sildenafil, Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, Vitaros Cream, etc.) will can help to regain confidence in your social and private life.

The good news is there are many wonderful benefits to reap from cutting down on alcohol intake. Reducing – or even giving up altogether – alcohol will leave the skin looking clearer, suddenly those previously waking up tired every day may have more energy, and there is the financial aspect of course.

Alcoholic drinks can be incredibly expensive and by cutting down, this will save possibly hundreds of pounds each year. The most important reason for cutting back on the booze is obviously the major health benefits to be had, but surely the thought of being able to treat yourself to things that were previously unaffordable is tempting enough to cut back or even banish the booze completely!

For all you dieters out there still trying to shift those last few lbs from the festive period, it might be worth considering the calorie intake of all the alcoholic drinks you are consuming as opposed to what is often deemed to be a dieter’s worst nightmare – chocolate.

Bridget Jones, the much loved heroine played by Renee Zellweger in the films, was known to binge on chocolate and ice cream during times of stress in her chaotic love life, but British researchers wanted to find out more information about any potential obstacles to people trying to slim down so that efforts can be made in the future to avoid dieting pitfalls.

The researchers from Birmingham University monitored eighty men and women, all of whom were either attempting to lose weight or keep off weight they had previously lost. Each person was provided with a mobile phone to record an electronic diary of a temptation or craving they encountered.

Their emotions were also assessed, for example how exactly they were feeling at the time of the craving and whether they actually succumbed and consumed that particular craving.

On average, each person was faced with 11 occasions where they had the temptation to abandon their healthy eating over the duration of one week, giving in over half the time. ‘Bad’ foods were unsurprisingly most appealing during times of stress or severe hunger.

Interestingly, those in the study were found more likely to give in to alcohol than binge on sugary treats or have giant servings of meals, indicating that it is booze which could be the main villain in regards to losing weight and keeping it off.

Birmingham University researcher Dr Heather McKee led the study, published in the Annals of Behavioural Medicine, and she suggests a reason for this; that dieters often grossly underestimate the number of calories in alcoholic drinks.

Not many people may be aware but just a single glass of wine is equivalent to the calories contained within 4 cookies and a pint of lager is about as calorie-laden as a slice of pizza. In addition, the NHS warn that merely 5 pints of lager per week totals an estimated 44,200kcal over the course of a year – similar to a person eating 221 doughnuts.

Also, did you know that only 2 large glasses of white wine will gobble up around of a fifth of the recommended daily calorie intake for a woman? If you didn’t, you might have to be careful before opening that second bottle of wine in the future.

Dr McKee discovered evening time is when people are more likely to give in to temptations because of willpower decreasing during the course of the day. This could be due to the relaxing environment of a pub or your own home.

Dr McKee believes it will make be easier for dieters to succeed in their goals if more work was conducted into what makes people give in to cravings and temptations and thus abandon their healthy lifestyle.

She said: “Just like a muscle, willpower can become fatigued.  But, with regular practice, it can grow stronger over time.”

Her tips include making sure treats are hidden out of view and not giving up every ‘luxury’ all at the same time, as this can prove difficult.

She says: “You can engineer your environment to make it less tempting. For instance, put the office biscuits out of sight so you don’t have a constant reminder of a temptation that you have to resist multiple times throughout the day which eventually wears down one’s self-control and makes you more likely to give in. Secondly, it’s best that when trying to avoid temptation to try not to give up everything at once. For example, often in January or at lent people give up sweets, chocolate, alcohol etc. all at once. This is too much strain on your self-control and makes you much more likely to lapse than if you focus on training one aspect, such as cutting down alcohol.  When feel confident at that, starting to work on other temptations.”

Impotence less likely for men dating women with slimmer waists

Slap-bang in the middle of January and obviously just after the typically indulgent Christmas period is never going to be the most ideal of times for anybody’s waistline as the struggle to lose the bulk gained from all that Christmas food and extra alcohol calories is still underway.

However, the results of a Scottish study on sexual dysfunction could provide some motivation for women to achieve that long-desired ‘figure 8’ body size – often associated as the pinnacle of feminine beauty. The study has possibly also shed light on the reasons why many men could desire women who boast a ‘waspish’ waist.

The results also linked the size and shape of a women’s waistline to the chances of satisfaction or the risk of her partner suffering from erectile dysfunction.

Researchers state that as humans have evolved over the years, our mind-set subconsciously correlates people who are overweight as having a much higher risk of having health problems. Ergo, men would usually perceive a woman who has a more slender waist to be in a healthier condition and an ideal mate for reproductive success.

The study included approximately 700 Czech men aged between 35 to 65 years of age and looked at how frequently they engaged in sexual intercourse. The researchers utilised the measuring scale known as the International Index of Erectile Dysfunction (IIEF)-15) to determine each man’s sexual function. The IIEF-15 is comprised of a set of 15 questions regarding erectile function and sexual satisfaction.

It was ascertained that the men who experienced less occurrences of male impotence were generally younger and had partners who were also younger in age, and interestingly partners who had a slimmer waist. In addition, the same men reported to being much more satisfied with their sex life.

Lead researcher Stuart Brody, professor of psychology at the University of West Scotland, shed some light on the apparent ‘waist effect’ seen in the study and highlighted that it was ‘noteworthy’ that those women who had a more slimmer waist were deemed to be more sexually appealing  in all measures of sexual function  – regardless of the age of each partner. One theory put forth for the findings in the study was that the abdominal body fat of the woman actually diminished their own desire on a hormonal level, negatively effecting libido. Whilst another reason was a little more straightforward and was that men could simply just find a more slender frame to be more attractive.

Mr Brody said: “The most compelling explanation was that slimmer women are, on average, more sexually attractive to men (resulting in more frequent sex, stronger erections, and greater satisfaction). This is not surprising, given evolutionary selection pressures, because accumulation of excess body fat, especially abdominally, is associated with elevated risk of metabolic, cardiovascular, and neoplastic disorders. The elevated risk of such disorders could result in poorer fitness and hence less desirability as a mating partner.”

Women are not the only ones though who need to begin counting the calories. It was also found by researchers that many of the men with larger waists reported a lower sexual satisfaction compared to their svelte counterparts. This may not come as a surprise though – Medical Specialists Pharmacy have previously touched upon the causes of erectile dysfunction and obesity has been found to be one of the leading causes of male impotence along with factors such as smoking, alcohol abuse and stress.

Dieters often disregard the calories contained in alcohol

It may come too late for the millions of people around the world who have over-indulged during Christmas and New Year celebrations, however those watching their weight may be grossly underestimating the impact that alcohol can have on their waistlines and dieters are best to banish the booze if they want to shed the pounds.

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) claim that one of the biggest mistakes when dieting is forgetting the hundreds of ‘hidden’ calories within alcoholic drinks and that alcohol is only second to fat in regards to calorie content. Fat contains 9kcal/g, whilst alcohol has 7kcal/g. Even protein and carbohydrates only contain 4kcal/g, whilst fibre contains 2kcal/g.

Due to the fact so many of us are not paying attention to our alcohol calorie intake, the WCRF have now made an online calorie-counter available that lists the calorie content in various commonly consumed alcoholic drinks. Therefore, people are able see how many calories they are taking in and also roughly how much exercise would be required to burn off these ‘empty’ calories that offer no nutritional value.

For instance, just drinking one large glass of wine means you are taking in a whopping 178 calories and this is the equivalent of eating two chocolate digestive biscuits. However, it gets worse – it would take half an hour of brisk walking to burn-off that one glass of wine. Another popular tipple, especially in men, is a pint of lager. This drink though contains an incredible 250 calories. This is roughly the same as three chocolate digestive biscuits and would need 53 minutes of brisk walking to burn this off!

Being overweight or obese is the biggest risk of cancer after smoking, and in reducing alcoholic drinks, people will be more able to lose weight and thus reduce their cancer risk. In fact, it is estimated that even drinking just one pint of beer daily increases a person’s risk of bowel and liver cancer by approximately a fifth. In the UK alone, over 20,000 cases of cancer each year are attributed to alcohol.

Kate Mendoza, head of health information at WCRF, commented: “The calories in alcoholic drinks account for a significant proportion of a drinker’s calorie consumption while providing little, if any, nutritional benefit. Cutting down on drinking can have a big effect on weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight. Recent reports have shown that people are unaware of calories in drinks and don’t include them when calculating their daily consumption. This is important from a cancer perspective because, after smoking, being overweight or obese is the biggest risk factor. There is also strong scientific evidence that alcohol itself is a cancer risk factor, possibly through damaging our DNA, in cancers of the breast, bowel, mouth, oesophagus and liver.”

As we begin 2013, many of the UK will beginning their New Year’s Resolutions, which usually include stopping smoking as we discussed just a few days ago. Another popular resolution is to lose weight. Cancer Research-led research however found that nearly four out of 10 people ditch their New Year’s resolutions within a fortnight and only one in 11 manages to keep their resolution to half a year.

If you want to lose weight it would be recommended to drastically limit your alcoholic drinks in addition to eating healthy.  This healthier lifestyle will be highly effective in conjunction with a medically proven weight loss aid such as XLS-Medical, Alli, or the prescription medication Xenical.  All three weight loss aids are available today from Medical Specialists at incredibly low prices.