We all know that alcohol has a lot of calories. For example, a glass of wine has 83 calories, which means that just three glasses can represent more than 10% of the energy intake recommended by an individual per day . Its high calorie content means that if we take it often, it is very easy for us to go beyond the calories our body needs without almost realizing it.
Understanding the link between alcohol intake and food is very relevant given both the increase in alcohol consumption in society and the levels of obesity in the world. Thus, a team of scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) decided to deepen this association.
How does alcohol affect appetite?
Research so far has been conflicting. Some have stated that it reduces the desire to eat and others that it increases it.
The researchers conducted a series of experiments on rats because they were more human-like. Rats are larger mammals and eat more food than mice, making the results easier to quantify and their patterns related to feeding and brain circuits are also similar to humans.
They observed that when the rats had consumed a moderate amount of alcohol, they consumed less food, keeping their caloric intake at the same level as if they had not consumed alcohol. “I was studying whether alcohol intake affected total calorie intake and body weight, and the result, in terms of voluntarily drinking, is … that it doesn’t, at least in rats,” Nu-Chu explains. Liang, labor leader
However, when injected with alcohol to mimic binge drinking, the rats consumed fewer calories overall and began to lose weight. Even if the equivalent of 50% of their daily calorie intake was injected as alcohol, they still consumed fewer calories throughout the day.
Scientists logically state that although alcohol intoxication seems to reduce calorie intake, it is not a good model of weight loss for humans. More research will be needed to separate the complex interactions between calorie consumption and alcohol consumption among humans, so the debate is far from settled.
The study has been published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior.
