Bingeing then dieting 'harmful'

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New research suggests a "binge then diet" food regime could cut the lifespan of children and teenagers who are still growing.

The scientists from the University of Glasgow carried out their research on stickleback fish.

They observed a 25% cut in the lifespan of those animals which followed an erratic feeding pattern compared to others that ate a constant amount of food.

But they also believe the findings could have implications for teenagers and children who follow extreme patterns of dieting. This is because they are still growing.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, looked at around 120 of the tiny fish.

They were chosen because of their short lifespan, which allowed researchers to observe them over their whole lives in the course of a normal study.

Around half were given a constant amount of food every day and the others were given the same overall amount of food but in a more erratic feeding pattern.

The sticklebacks that followed a regular pattern lived on average around two years. But those fed more erratically lived on average only 18 months - a cut in their lifespan by a quarter.

Professor Neil Metcalfe, one of the study's authors, said: "It seems that uneven growth, due to the fluctuation in the amount eaten per day, is responsible for the increase in the risk of sudden death."