Scientists have found that the brain cells in mice that stimulate the urge to eat can be activated by alcohol as well as by hunger - a discovery that could help explain why binge drinking often leads to binge eating. In an experiment, mice subjected to a three-day "alcoholic weekend" were found to eat significantly more food than mice that stayed sober. The results, published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, show that major components of the brain's feeding circuits are activated by alcohol, the researchers said. "Our data suggest that alcohol sustains fundamental appetite signals, (and does) not just disinhibit their behavioral manifestation," wrote Denis Burdakov, who led the study at the Francis Crick Institute in London.
Science is finally starting to explain why you eat so much when you drink
