A recent study published in The Obesity Society reports that alcohol consumption can increase food consumption in women. The study followed 35 healthy women.

The women were given either alcohol or a saline solution intravenously before lunch. After the participants were given either product, the researchers tested their brain food cues through the use of different aromas. Afterwards, they were also given a lunch of either beef or noodles or noodles with meat sauce.

Researchers found that the women who were given alcohol responded more to the food aromas than the women given saline. They also found that these women consumed more food than the ones given the saline solution. This leads researchers to believe that alcohol leads women to crave and eat more food. Another interesting finding from the study was that the hypothalamus, which regulates the metabolism, responded more to food odors as well.

Studying this topic is important because many American women consume alcohol on a daily basis and therefore may be overeating.