Sales of laxatives have risen by a third in five years, while the Eating Disorders Association says that one in five women has taken laxatives to lose weight. Laxative abuse has an immediate impact on health, including terrible stomach pain, but it also has long term effects, such as potassium deficiency which can trigger a heart attack.
Martha is joined by Steve Bloomfield of the Eating Disorders Association, Dr Jill Welbourne a retired doctor who has worked in the area of eating disorders for over thirty years and by Claire Stock who used laxatives for over three years to lose weight.
