Boozy diet of young holiday Britons

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  Among 18 to 25-year-olds, alcohol consumption per day amounted to an average of 1,592 calories, the poll by travel company www.sunshine.co.uk found.

This amounted to 11,144 calories for a week-long holiday and exceeded the daily average of 1,310 calories for food, with the weekly food total being 9,170 calories.

Of the 1,736 people aged 18-25 who were questioned, 84% said they had consumed alcohol on their last holiday abroad.

A total of 63% admitted to drinking every day, with 92% saying they felt they ate less on holiday than at home.

Around half put their lack of eating down to "the heat", while 28% cited the expense of food abroad.

Sunshine.co.uk co-founder Chris Brown said: "I can certainly relate to not wanting to eat as much in hot temperatures - warm weather does seem to have that effect on some people.

"However, 1,592 calories a day is a huge amount to be consuming through alcohol alone, so I was really shocked to see that number in comparison to the calories taken in from meals and snacks."

Window seats on planes can up the risk of DVT

But economy class syndrome 'a myth'

Sitting in a window seat of an aeroplane during long distance flights can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), doctors say.

A window seat is one of the risk factors for DVT in long distance travellers outlined in new guidelines by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), which say that a person's individual risk factors for blood clots should be taken into account before being offered preventative medicines.

Other risk factors highlighted include being elderly, pregnant or taking oral contraceptives.

The experts also say that so-called '"economy class syndrome" is a myth, as the risk of developing a blood clot during a long haul flight is the same for those travelling in first or business class.

Deep vein thromboses are blood clots which usually develop in the legs. If a clot breaks away, it can cause a potentially fatal blockage in the lungs known as a pulmonary embolism.

The new guidance, published in the journal Chest, says the risk of developing a blood clot on a long distance flight is "very small" for most people, but was strongest for flights taking longer than eight to ten hours, particuarly in those with other risk factors.

Prolonged sitting, such as in a window seat of a plane, where someone is less likey to get up and move around, can also increase the risk of DVT.

Guidelines co-author Dr Mark Crowther from McMaster University, Ontario, said: "Travelling in economy class does not increase your risk for developing a blood clot, even during long-distance travel.

"However, remaining immobile for long periods of time will. Long distance travellers sitting in a window seat tend to have limited mobility, which increases their risk for DVT. This risk increases as other factors are present."

Smoking and obesity were also identified as risk factors, but the doctors said they found no "definitive evidence" that either dehydration or drinking alcohol boosted the risk of DVT.

Medical conditions which can put a person at increased risk include having had recent surgery, a family history of blood clots and having heart disease.

The guidelines recommend that all long-haul passengers should take preventative measures such as getting out of their seats and walking around, and calf muscle stretches.

In addition to this, people at higher risk of DVT should sit in an aisle seat if possible and wear below-knee graduated compression stockings, they advised.

The doctors also advised against the use of aspirin or any other anti-coagulant medication to prevent DVT in long-distance travellers.

Drugs which can prevent blood clotting should only be considered on an individual basis for those at a higher risk of DVT as the "adverse effects may outweigh the risks," they said.

Dr Gordon Guyatt, who chaired the panel of experts which drew up the guidelines, said: "There has been a significant push in health care to administer DVT prevention for every patient, regardless of risk.

"As a result, many patients are receiving unnecessary therapies that provide little benefit and could have adverse effects."

"The decision to administer DVT prevention therapy should be based on the patients' risk and the benefits of prevention or treatment."

Sugar should be controlled like cigarettes and alcohol

© Lori Martin - Fotolia.com

Sugar is a modern-day menace to health and should be controlled in a similar manner to alcohol and cigarettes, experts say.

In an article called "The Toxic Truth About Sugar," published in the journal Nature, US scientists argue that sugar is more than just "empty calories that make people fat."

As well as fuelling a global obesity pandemic, too much dietary sugar can change the body's metabolism, raise blood pressure, critically alter people's hormones and cause "significant damage" to the liver, the scientists from the University of California said.

"As long as the public thinks that sugar is just 'empty calories,' we have no chance in solving this," said Robert Lustig, a professor of paediatrics and child obesity expert. "There are good calories and bad calories, just as there are good fats and bad fats, good amino acids and bad amino acids, good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates. But sugar is toxic beyond its calories."

The scientists also said the effects of consuming too much sugar largely mirror that of drinking too much alcohol, which they point out, is made from the distillation of sugar.

Worldwide consumption of sugar has tripled during the past 50 years, and is linked to 35 million deaths a year from diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, the researchers said.

To reduce sugar consumption, the researchers recommended controlling access to sugary food and drinks, including age restrictions, stricter regulations on vending machines in schools and snack bars and even taxing sugar containing products.

Dr. Laura Schmidt, who co-authored the paper said: "We're not talking prohibition. We're not advocating a major imposition of the government into people's lives.

"We're talking about gentle ways to make sugar consumption slightly less convenient, thereby moving people away from the concentrated dose. What we want is to actually increase people's choices by making foods that aren't loaded with sugar comparatively easier and cheaper to get."