Carried out by researchers from the University at Buffalo, the University of Michigan, the University of Toledo, and Bowling Green State University, the new study studied 286 college students to find out how drinking affects what they eat, both during their night out and for their first meal the next day, when they are likely to be hungover.
“Given the obesity epidemic and the rates of alcohol consumption on college campuses, we need to be aware of not only the negative effect of alcohol consumption, but also the impact it has on what people are eating while they are drinking,” said study co-author Jessica Kruger, who added that studies on the association between drinking and diet are limited.
Participants were asked to complete an anonymous online survey answering general questions about their diet, such as “What do you typically eat for your first meal of the day?” and “How often do you eat something before you go to bed?” They were then asked about their diet habits when drinking, including how often they ate something before bed on nights when they drank alcohol, what they ate, and what they typically ate for their first meal the day after a night of binge drinking.
The results showed that all participants were more likely to eat something before they went to bed after drinking alcohol than on the nights they didn’t drink.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, they were also more likely to choose fatty and salty snack foods such as pizza, rather than healthy foods such as vegetables.
The researchers were also concerned that the participants didn’t report drinking more water or other non-alcoholic beverages before bed, which could make dehydration even worse and lead to even more unhealthy food choices.
The morning after, the students were less likely to skip meals compared to a typical morning. They were also more likely to reach for salty snacks as foods such as pizza or tacos, so-called hangover cures that are believed to “soak up” the alcohol, and were less likely to eat sweet foods and vegetables.
Kruger says dispelling these myths about hangover cures is one way to help promote a healthy diet even after a night of drinking. The researchers pointed out that the average beer contains 150 calories, which adds up to 750 calories if a person drinks five beers on a night out, equal to a third of their daily energy intake. Add the calories from two slices of pizza or a burrito at the end of the night, and Kruger warns it’s a recipe for weight gain.
The study was published online in the Californian Journal of Health Promotion.