Warnings over egg-eating stunt

Contestants had to eat dozens of eggs in minutes

A competition which encourages competitors to eat as many eggs as they can one after the other has been criticised by nutritionists.

They say that the television stunt could encourage people to repeat it regularly - with damaging consequences.

Many of the competitors end up making themselves sick after eating dozens of eggs in just a few minutes, in scenes reminiscent of the cult film "Cool Hand Luke".

The bizarre television show is being screened by the music channel MTV and is to be screened on Friday.

A spokeswoman for the channel denied that it was irresponsible.

'Clearly a stunt'

"It's very clearly done as a stunt, as a game.

Famous egg-eater: Paul Newman

"It's not in any way encouraging people to binge, it's just a complete laugh."

The promotional material for the programme encourages people not to attempt to reproduce the stunts at home.

However, talking to the BBC, Claire Macevilly, a nutrition scientist for the British Nutrition Foundation, said that while attempting the egg-eating feat once was unlikely to prove harmful, repeated vomiting was a different matter.

"That is certainly not good for your teeth, as your body is doing something that it is not naturally designed to do.

"The acid from the stomach attacks the teeth and damages their appearance and shape."

This damage is often experienced by people suffering from bulimia, who repeatedly binge eat and then make themselves sick.

The MTV "Jackass Pukestock Tour" has already visited Newcastle, London, Dublin and goes to Glasgow on Friday.