There’s a reason a lot of nutritionists recommend cutting back your alcohol intake if you want to lose weight. It’s because alcohol makes you eat more.
It’s called the “aperitif effect,” and you’ve probably felt it before. It’s when you’ve had a few drinks after dinner, you know you’re not hungry, but suddenly that expensive bar food menu looks extra appealing.
But though it’s an acknowledged effect that even has a name, no one has really known why it happens until now.
This new study looked at 35 women who were injected with the equivalent of 2 to 2.5 drinks worth of alcohol. Then, they were asked to smell foods while having an MRI Brain scan done. Then, they were given food and had their intake recorded.
Then, as a control, they did it all again with saline solution.
Unsurprisingly, it happened—the women ate more when they drank.
But they noticed something else, too. The brain scans showed that the alcohol made women more sensitive to food aromas.
It especially activated the hypothalamus, which is in charge of metabolism and appetite. ##MN_RESP##
Researchers believe that this could mean that alcohol makes food smell better, therefore increasing our appetite and making us want to eat more.
It all makes so much more sense now, doesn’t it?
Of course, a study of 35 people can’t possibly be definitive, but it’s a step towards understanding why we want that extra plate of fries when we’re out with our friends.
If you think you’re prone to eating more when you go out for happy hour, limit yourself to one drink, and try to have it after you’re already full.
