That Drink Before Dinner May Cause You To Eat More

That Drink Before Dinner May Cause You To Eat More

Having a drink before dinner could make some people eat more a new study suggests.

The effect is modest, not universal, the researchers said.

But the findings, reported in the July issue of the journal Obesity, may offer one explanation for the so-called “aperitif effect” where some people feel hungrier when they imbibe alcohol before eating.

“The joke is, every restaurant knows that if they give you a drink first, you will eat more,” said one of the study’s authors, Robert Considine, a professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, in Indianapolis.

In the new study, Mr. Considine and his colleagues tried to get at the biology underlying the aperitif effect. Using MRI brain scans, they found that, on average, alcohol made a particular brain area, the hypothalamus, more focused on food aromas, Vs other types of odors.

The hypothalamus produces hormones that help govern various body functions, including hunger. And alcohol, he said, “seemed to direct the hypothalamus to pay more attention to food.”

However, the findings do not mean weight-watchers cannot enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, according to an obesity researcher who was not involved in the study.

Most of the time, alcohol increased study participants’ food intake by just a small amount, and 33% ate less; and the whole study group was in the normal-weight range.

Appetite and weight control are extremely complex. And there is no 1-size-fits-all diet, or magic bullet against obesity.

What’s important about this study is that it speaks to the complexity of appetite regulation. There are hundreds of influences on eating behavior, and alcohol intake is just one of them.

For the study, the researchers had 35 healthy women visit the lab on 2 separate days. On 1 day, the women received an infusion of alcohol, and on the other, an infusion of plain saline.

The researchers then used functional MRI scans to chart blood flow in each woman’s brain as she was exposed to food aromas and other odors. Afterward, the study participants were offered lunch.

Overall, the researchers found, the women showed less brain activity in response to non-food odors after they had received an alcohol infusion. Instead, the hypothalamus appeared more interested in food scents.

What’s more, 67% of the study group ate a bigger lunch after the alcohol infusion. On the other hand, 33% ate more after the saline infusion, too, the study found.

So, the findings illustrate the complexity of appetite regulation, and people need not ban alcohol from their lives, partly because research suggests that a glass of Red wine with dinner can be a heart-healthy habit.

The findings do not negate the potential benefits of Red wine. But, it is important for people watching their weight to remember that alcohol contains a lot of calories. And for some people, it might also boost food intake.

The broad message is  “complex neurochemical systems” govern appetite and weight control. That is why it’s not as easy as ‘eat less, exercise more.’

Eat healthy, Be healthy.

HeffX-LTN

Paul Ebeling

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