People who use dating apps such as Tinder are far more likely to go to dangerous lengths to keep themselves thin, according to a new study.
Researchers found that women who tried online dating were up to 26.9 times more likely than non-users to fast, make themselves sick or use laxatives to control their weight.
Men using dating apps were up to 14.6 times more likely to use unhealthy ways to control their weight than those who didn't use the apps.
The odds increased in racial and ethnic minorities and particularly African Americans, the study found.
Researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the US say the results are concerning given the rise of appearance-based services and their suspected negative impact on body image.
The team surveyed 1,726 adults with 183 women and 209 men saying they had used dating apps in the last 30 days.
They then asked them about their weight control behaviours over the last 12 months.
Published in the Journal of Eating Disorders, the team found the most common unhealthy weight control behaviours (UWCBs) were fasting, vomiting and laxative use.
Out of those who said they used dating apps, 44.8 per cent of women and 54.1 per cent of men reported fasting, 22.4 per cent of women and 36.4 per cent of men reported vomiting, and 24 per cent of women and 41.1 per cent of men reported using laxatives for weight control.
Compared to non-users, women who used dating apps had 2.3 to 26.9 times higher odds of engaging in the behaviours, while men who used dating apps were 3.2 to 14.6 times more likely.
Lead author Dr Alvin Tran said: "To our knowledge, our study is one of the first to explore dating app use in association with unhealthy weight control behaviours.
"When comparing those who do not use dating apps to those who do, we found that dating app users had significantly elevated odds of engaging in the six unhealthy weight control behaviours we investigated: vomiting for weight control, using laxatives for weight control, fasting for weight control, using diet pills, using muscle-building supplements, and using anabolic steroids.
"Consistent with previous research, we also found elevated rates of UWCBs in racial and ethnic minorities, particularly African Americans.
"We did not, however, find elevated odds of UWCBs based on sexual orientation."
Dr Tran added: "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.
"With the tremendous growth in dating app usage in the US, and an increasing number of studies linking their use to body image concerns and UWCBs, there is a need to further understand how dating apps influence health behaviours and outcomes."
