What happens to your body when you binge on Easter eggs, according to a doctor

Easter is finally upon us. Time for an egg... or 12.

With Easter treats costing as little as £1 in some places, it's no wonder they're so hard to resist.

It's estimated 80 to 90 million Easter eggs are eaten each year in the UK and it's not uncommon for Brits to get through at least one a day.

Studies show 43 per cent of children will start early and eat their first egg before Easter Sunday. And 19pc of them admit that they will probably make themselves ill by overeating.

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Doctors have issued a warning that binge eating Easter eggs can be hugely detrimental to our health. Dr Claire Merrifield, a GP at Selph said: "Typically, cheaper Easter egg chocolate is ultra-processed, which means they have lots of artificial ingredients added to them that you wouldn't typically find in a kitchen."

"In particular it will contain emulsifiers, thickening agents, gelling agents and E numbers. Ultra-processed chocolates have very little cocoa in, and are mainly a mix of these other ingredients. These extra ingredients are designed to make that chocolate delicious and easy to eat, so you eat it faster and eat more of it."

But 'binge' eating chocolate can have a harmful effect on our bodies. Dr Merrifield added: "If we constantly eat ultra-processed foods, we can eat around 500 more calories a day than if we just eat whole foods.

"Eating a 100g Easter egg a day, or even half an egg, can result in weight gain due to the high sugar and fat content. Binge eating chocolate regularly can also contribute to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, due to the high saturated fat and sugar levels.

"For example, someone who leads a largely sedentary