Desire for high-calorie before the period
Many women thirst for power, shortly before the period of hot felt. Often this desire turns especially Sweet and Salty food such as Fast Food. Researchers have now investigated what role the brain plays in the Hunger for high caloric value.
Many women know the Problem: Shortly before the menstrual period, the cravings will report on Fast Food and sweets, the power of the good intentions come to naught. But why is it so? Researchers at the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen (JLU) have been busy, what role the brain plays.
Premenstrual Symptoms
Strong Craving for French fries, burgers and Pizza or cravings on ice cream, cake and chocolate? Many women experience shortly before the Occurrence of the period in addition to mood swings, difficulties in concentrating, or chest, a sudden cravings margins on Sweet or salty food.
According to a communication from these premenstrual symptoms and cravings can be brought to certain foods, especially in connection with the biochemical changes during the monthly cycle.
A research team at the JLU has now investigated whether the female brain reacts just before the period is also particularly sensitive to food stimuli. The results of the study were published in the journal “Hormones and behavior”.
Images evaluated in terms of their palatability
The information, according to the Team at the chair of psychotherapy and systems neurosciences and the Department for Differential and Biological psychology (faculty 06 / field of psychology) the JLU has invited, in a period of three months, 35 young healthy women who do not prevent hormonally, repeated to the laboratory – in the first half of the cycle, at the time of ovulation, as well as in the period just before Menstruation.
The Participants were asked to take pictures of high – and low-caloric food to look at and evaluate in terms of their palatability. For the measurement of attention and sensitivity to the images, the researchers derived the brain waves of women by means of electroencephalogram (EEG) and measured the concentration of the sex hormone progesterone.
In addition, the subject was not due to their own experiences, information on complaints and impairments in connection with the monthly cycle. The women reported ranging from discomfort to pain, but also from impairments in their social relations, for example, in the work environment or in their Hobbies.
Attention to food stimuli draw
As stated in the notice, documents in the framework of the study, the data collected, that women respond in the time shortly before Menstruation significantly more sensitive to images of high-caloric food than in other cycle phases. For low-caloric pictures did not display this effect but.
“The lower the progesterone concentration and the greater the impairment of the women reported in connection with their period, the lower the EEG-response to pictures of high calorie food,” summarizes lead author Dr. Jana spotlights the results. In the subjective evaluation of the images, there have been no differences.
The scientists assume, therefore, that women with low Progesterone levels in the period prior to the period and with a higher falls through the menstrual-related complaints is easier to draw their attention to food stimuli. Whether such a change in reaction is also relevant for the development of eating disorders, obesity (obesity) or Premenstrual Dysphoric disorders, is not yet clarified.
The experts suggest that further studies in patients will show whether there is a decreased sensitivity for high-calorie foods to an excessive consumption of power, high sweet and high fat food prone or, on the contrary, even prior to that protects. (ad)