Bridget Jones's knickers as famously worn by Renee Zellweger

When Bridget Jones appeared on screen in a pair of enormous tummy-control knickers, she was mortified when they were uncovered in a moment of passion.

But it seems the 30-something singleton may have had more to worry about than her blushes.

For medical experts have warned wearing tight controlling underwear could put your health at risk.

Wearing too-restrictive knickers could trigger a rash of health problems from having a damaging effect on breathing patterns to heartburn and even inflammation and ulcers of the stomach.

Professor John Hunter, who teaches medicine at Cranfield University, warned: "The effect of wearing tight control underwear is similar to that of a corset, which all the medical books have long since advised against."

Sales of big pants in Marks & Spencer rocketed by 60 per cent after Renee Zellweger appeared on screen in 2001 as the fuller-figured Bridget Jones.

After the hit movie women flocked to buy a garment which would hold everything in under a glamorous outfit - even if it meant they could not eat a thing all night.

But Prof Hunter said: "The increased pressure on the stomach could cause a number of problems. "If the pressure on the stomach is too great acid can flow up from the stomach into the lower gullet and cause heartburn. With extended use that could give rise to inflammation and ulcers in the stomach.

"Control knickers could also cause problems with breathing. To breathe correctly one should use the diaphragm and the stomach expands as it pushes down.

"If you are trying to pull your stomach in tight the diaphragm cannot go down as effectively. This can lead to trapped wind and bloating.

"In worse cases it could cause over-rapid breathing, chronic hyperventilation leading to panic attacks and stress incontinence, because if the pressure on the stomach has suddenly risen when a woman sneezes or coughs it could trigger an embarrassing leak."

The professor added conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and reflux - where bile travels back along the oesophagus, the tube running from the mouth to the stomach - could be worsened by wearing over-restrictive underwear.

He said: "Whenever I treat anyone with those symptoms the first thing I suggest is that they stop wearing tight clothing."

Control pants are not the only garment to pose a potential hazard to wearers. Medics have long warned against the dangers of wearing corsets, which can impede digestion and damage the ribs.

In an average year more than half a million accidents are caused by items of clothing. In one year 69,700 injuries were inflicted on men and women wearing socks, tights or stockings. Most were triggered by the wearer slipping or dropping heavy items on their stockinged feet.

More than 8,000 women were injured running or slipping in high heels. And nearly 900 men and women were hospitalised by belts, either by trying to create extra holes with knives or suffering puncture wounds from the buckle.

This is not the first time medics have warned of the dangers of wearing certain types of knickers.

Last year doctor Thomas Gent, of the Association of Gynaecologists, advised women not to sport skimpy G-strings because they could cause irritation and infections.

He said friction caused by the string could "aid the spread of bacteria and lead to fungal infections."