It turns out alcohol and junk food may be inextricably linked in our brains.
Scientists have finally explained why you just have to have that greasy burger from your favourite fast-food chain after a night out on the town.
A new study has revealed that excessive drinking and junk food cravings go hand-in-hand, Mirror UK reports.
According to researchers from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in the US, obesity and alcoholism are two of the most common chronic disorders in the United States – and they may be behaviourally linked.
“Binge intake of palatable diets, such as diets high in fat, and binge alcohol intake may utilize the same neurocircuitry,” the researchers wrote.
The theory was tested on mice in a lab. The mice were administered alcohol while researchers observed how their eating habits changed, according to Metro UK.
The rodents were split into three different groups. The first group had limited access to water mixed with alcohol and were fed a high-fat diet. The second group were fed a normal diet and also had limited access to alcohol.
Turns out these two groups, the study found, drank less alcohol than the third group – also referred to as the binge-diet group – who had limited access to both alcohol and the high-fat diet.
After eight weeks, the results revealed that the binge-diet group showed the same pattern of weight gain and loss normally associated with binge eating. Those mice also drank more alcohol than water during their access period, showing a clear preference for booze.
Caitlin Coker, the author of the study, said the research would be of critical importance in the near future to understand the links between obesity and alcohol.