Gaby
Women who experience cravings for chocolate and chips every month have solid reasons for their hunger. Research has shown that at certain times during the month, changes occur in women’s brains that can influence their appetite and desire for unhealthy foods.
The Brain Responds Less to Insulin During Certain Phases of the Female Cycle
Researchers found that during the premenstrual phase of the female cycle, after ovulation but before menstruation begins, a part of the brain known as the hypothalamus responds less to the hormone insulin. Most people are familiar with insulin, produced by the pancreas, in relation to diabetes, as it regulates blood sugar levels.
However, when this hormone reaches the brain, previous data suggests it may make women feel hungrier and more prone to snacking. Thus, the new discovery that insulin does not function effectively in the brain before menstruation may help explain the increased appetite and unhealthy cravings during this time.
These findings were derived from brain scans of 15 women using an MRI machine. Professor Martin Heni, who led the study at the University of Tübingen in Germany, states that insulin in the brain is not as well-studied as it is in the body. According to him, this is the first evidence that it has a diminished effect on women at a specific point in their menstrual cycle.
The suggestion that this could help explain feelings of hunger and cravings for unhealthy food at certain times in a woman’s menstrual cycle is very valuable. It indicates that women who struggle with this phenomenon are not imagining it. However, as Mr. Heni notes, their study did not directly examine these effects in women.
How Was the Study Conducted?
The researchers administered a nasal spray of insulin to 15 women to simulate what happens when the hormone enters the brain. This resulted in significant activity in the hypothalamus during the “follicular” phase of their cycle – from the day after their last period until ovulation.
However, brain activity was lower during the “luteal” phase, when women are in the premenstrual cycle – after ovulation but before menstruation. This may also help explain premenstrual mood changes, as insulin’s action in the brain could influence emotions.
As noted by the Daily Mail, researchers suspect that insulin is needed by women in the first half of their cycle, as the hormone regulates glucose in the body. Therefore, it may help mobilize energy to produce an egg and thicken the uterine lining in case they become pregnant that month.
It Doesn’t Lead to Diabetes, but It Increases Fat Accumulation
However, this process is less necessary after ovulation. The lack of insulin sensitivity observed in women’s brains before their menstrual cycle is distinct from the lack of sensitivity to this hormone seen in other parts of the body, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.
This means that women should not fear a sharp rise in blood sugar levels during the second half of their menstrual cycle. However, the temporary lack of the brain’s sensitivity to insulin may contribute to greater fat accumulation in the body over decades. This suggests that premenstrual changes in women’s brains could be one reason why they typically have more body fat than men.
