Dangerous dieting to fuel weight debate

MORE than half of Australian women have taken diet pills, while 88 per cent regularly skip meals to try to lose weight.

And close to 20 per cent starve themselves for a day, figures from a new survey show. About 15 per cent admitted to vomiting after eating.

The statistics came from an online survey by Famous magazine which polled 1000 Australian women aged between 18 and 35. The results, to be published in the magazine tomorrow, reveal 56 per cent of respondents had used slimming tablets, 37percent smoked to suppress their appetite and 17 per cent went for more than a day without eating.

Most women believed that slimmer women were more successful with the opposite sex (79 per cent) and in their careers (64 per cent).

The magazine's executive editor, Ali Wick, said she was "really shocked" by the results, particularly as most respondents identified themselves as a size 10 (23 per cent) or 12 (24 per cent).

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