Why DO you always want to eat more after you've had a drink?
WHY DO YOU ALWAYS WANT TO EAT MORE AFTER YOU'VE HAD A DRINK?
Alcohol makes the brain more sensitive to food aromas
It is a familiar compulsion - the overwhelming need for a kebab, a burger or another calorie-rich treat in the early hours while you're merrily under the influence of your favourite tipple.
Having consumed one or two too many alcoholic beverages - all laden with empty calories themselves - the post-booze binge just adds to the feelings of guilt and regret the next morning.
But scientists believe they have identified why women in particular are compelled to eat more after drinking alcohol.
It causes the brain to become more sensitive to food aromas, thus encouraging the appetite, scientists at Indiana University have revealed.
Researchers conducted the first study of its kind, measuring the brain's role in mediating calorie intake following alcohol consumption in women.
The study, led by Dr William Eiler, adds to the current body of knowledge that alcohol increases food intake - dubbed the 'aperitif effect'.
But, the new findings show the increased intake does not solely rely on the oral ingestion of alcohol, and its absorption through the gut.
Dr Eiler said: 'The brain, absent contributions from the gut, can play a vital role in regulating food intake.
'Our study found that alcohol exposure can both increase the brain's sensitivity to external food cues, like aromas, and result in greater food consumption.
'Many alcoholic beverages already include empty calories, and when you combine those calories with the aperitif effect, it can lead to energy imbalance and possibly weight gain.'
Researchers conducted the study in 35 non-vegetarian, non-smoking women, all of a healthy weight.
To test the direct effects of alcohol on the brain, the scientists circumvented the digestive system by exposing each participant to intravenously administered alcohol at one study visit, and then to a placebo - saline - on another study visit, both before eating.
The women were observed and their brain's responses to food and non-food aromas were measured, via MRI scans.
After the scans were carried out, the women were offered the choice of pasta with Italian meat sauce or beef and noodles for lunch.
Researchers found that when women received intravenous alcohol, they ate more food at lunch, compared with when they were given the placebo.
However, there were individual differences, with one-third of participants eating less after alcohol exposure when compared with placebo exposure.
The area of the brain responsible for certain metabolic processes, the hypothalamus, highlighted in red, responded more to food odours, compared to non-food odours, after the women received alcohol compared with a placebo of saline, scientists said
The area of the brain responsible for certain metabolic processes, the hypothalamus, highlighted in red, responded more to food odours, compared to non-food odours, after the women received alcohol compared with a placebo of saline, scientists said
The area of the brain responsible for certain metabolic processes, the hypothalamus, also responded more to food odours, compared to non-food odours, after the women received alcohol rather than saline.
The researchers concluded the hypothalamus may therefore play a role in moderating the impact of alcohol exposure on our sensitivity to food cues, contributing to the aperitif phenomenon.
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By Lizzie Parry
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3145642/Why-want-kebab-ve-drink-Alcohol-makes-brain-sensitive-food-aromas-compelling-eat-more.html
(Articolo pubblicato dal CUFRAD sul sito www.alcolnews.it)