Its happened to all of us – starting a dinner party with a glass of wine means, inevitably, ending it with a huge dessert and most of the cheeseboard.
Scientists have found that alcohol really does make you hungrier.
However, according to the British study led by London's Francis Crick Institute, the alcohol fires up neurons in the brain normally activated by starvation.
The researchers found the ethanol in alcoholic drinks activated so-called Agrp neurons in brain slices taken from mice.
These neurons are "normally activated by starvation and evoke intense hunger".
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, states: "Drinking an aperitif to stimulate appetite has been mentioned as a human practice since at least the 5th century AD. Modern studies confirm that alcohol intake acutely stimulates eating, and correlates with obesity."
Responding to the findings, Dr Tony Goldstone, from the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College, London, said: "It was also previously thought that drinking alcohol could simply inhibit your ability to say no to food.
"This study shows that an important starvation pathway in the brain is activated by alcohol.
"This is a paradoxical effect even when someone is not starving and has just consumed alcohol which contains calories."
The test was an "alcoholic weekend" test, where mice were given alcohol at doses that are the equivalent of about 18 units or three days. This led to an increase in food intake of 15 to 20%. – Daily Mail
