BINGE DRINKERS: GYM TRIPS ‘WON’T BEAT ALCOHOL RISKS’

In a survey, 28 per cent of people who drink more than double the daily recommended amount said they tried to purge with exercise.

But their main concern seemed to be to burn off excess calories.

Health experts warn that exercise will do nothing to save binge drinkers from killer illnesses like liver disease, mouth cancer and strokes.

Public health minister Gillian Merron, reacting to the YouGov survey, said that while exercise was good for the heart, “if you have a big night at the pub, you’re not going to compensate with a workout”.

Broadcaster Dr Carol Cooper added “People need to be aware that regularly drinking double the recommended limits comes with health risks that can’t be burnt off.”

Three to four units of alcohol a day – about one and a half pints of lager – is a safe limit for men. For women, it is two to three units, roughly a glass of wine.

Men who regularly drink more than eight units a day and women who drink more than six units are more than five times at risk of mouth cancer and more than three times as likely to have a stroke.