Aug 21, 2014 01:57 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Women who read "Fifty Shades of Grey" are more likely to engage in potentially harmful health behaviors, according to a recent study.

Researchers from Michigan State University found that women who read popular fiction that normalizes and glamorizes violence against women are more likely to exhibit signs of eating disorders and have a verbally abusive partner. It was also found that reading all three books in the "Fifty Shades" erotic romance series may increase their risk of engaging in binge drinking and having multiple sex partners.

Amy Bonomi, the study's lead investigator, said all are known risks associated with being in an abusive relationship, much like the lead character, Anastasia, is in "Fifty Shades."

 "If women experienced adverse health behaviors such as disordered eating first, reading 'Fifty Shades' might reaffirm those experiences and potentially aggravate related trauma," said Bonomi, chairperson and professor in MSU's Department of Human Development and Family Studies. "Likewise, if they read 'Fifty Shades' before experiencing the health behaviors seen in our study, it's possible the books influenced the onset of these behaviors."

For the study, researchers studied more than 650 women aged 18-24, a prime period for exploring greater sexual intimacy in relationships, Bonomi said.

They found that Compared to participants who didn't read the book, those who read the first "Fifty Shades" novel were 25 percent more likely to have a partner who yelled or swore at them; 34 percent more likely to have a partner who demonstrated stalking tendencies; and more than 75 percent more likely to have used diet aids or fasted for more than 24 hours.

Those who read all three books in the series were 65 percent more likely than nonreaders to binge drink -- or drink five or more drinks on a single occasion on six or more days per month -- and 63 percent more likely to have five or more intercourse partners during their lifetime.

The findings were recently published in the Journal of Women's Health.

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