London - Laxatives have been used by almost half of women in an attempt to lose weight.
About47 percent are so desperate to shed the pounds that they have resorted to the pills at least once, researchers found.
Of those, more than half said they knew it was bad for their health and most admitted it produced no long-term result.
Slimmers merely took the anti-constipation medication as a quick fix because it causes rapid water loss, even though frequent use can cause dehydration and long-term bowel damage.
Laxatives were just one of the measures uncovered by researchers studying the weight-loss attitudes of 1 911 British women aged 18 and over.
Online pharmacy UKMedix.com found that 71 percent turned regularly to less conventional slimming techniques.
Some 45 percent have tried fasting by skipping meals, and 39 percent have tried the “cabbage soup diet” as a replacement for normal food.
More than a third said they had tried a “liquid diet”, while about a quarter said they just ate bowls of cereal. Body wraps, a beauty treatment which involves removing water from the skin to create temporary “inch-loss”, were given a go by almost 30 percent.
Incredibly, a quarter of women admitted eating baby food, while a similar proportion tried eating only raw fruit and vegetables.
Some 18 percent had tried to trick themselves into eating smaller portions by buying smaller plates, while 14 percent said they had purposely eaten foods they knew would make them ill in a bid to induce vomit or diarrhoea.
Just over half – 52 percent – admitted they would try a weight loss technique even if it affected their health.
Of these, 76 percent claimed the slimming results outweighed any side-effects. Sarah Bailey of UK-Medix.com described the findings as “worrying”. She added: “This simply isn’t healthy, and putting your health at risk to lose weight is absolutely not advisable.” - Daily Mail