Dating apps entice men into dangerous crash-dieting regimes, study suggests

‘We worry that the use of image-focused services could exacerbate unhealthy weight-control behaviours

DATING apps are encouraging dangerous crash-dieting practices, particularly among men, according to a new study.

An investigation by Harvard University found a strong correlation between people who use apps and unhealthy weight-control behaviours such as fasting, vomiting and use of laxative pills.

Analysis of 392 dating app users showed 44.8 per cent of women reported fasting, and 54.1 per cent of men.

Meanwhile, 22.4 per cent of women reported vomiting, compared with 36.4 per cent of men.

The elevated odds of the unhealthy weight-control behaviours were associated with gender, but not with sexual orientation.

Dr Alvin Tran, who led the research, said: “While we do not know if the people in our study were already engaging in these weight-control behaviours before using dating apps, we worry that the use of these image and appearance focused services could exacerbate those behaviours.”

He added: “To our knowledge, our study is one of the first to explore dating app use in association with unhealthy weight control behaviours.”

The study also looked at which dating app users reported using laxatives for weight control, finding that 24 per cent of women had done so and 41 per cent of men. Other methods included diet pill use, and use of anabolic steroids or muscle building supplements.

All those behaviours go against medical recommendations for safe weight loss and are considered clinically relevant symptoms of eating disorders, the authors said.

Last year the founder of the Bumble dating app admitted that such services can be harmful for mental health as they fuelled “smartphone addiction”.

The new study is published in the Journal of Eating Disorders.