Talk about a sugar buzz: Your love of sweets could be tied to your drinking habits, finds new research from Indiana University.
Scientists looked at brain scans and found people who had a greater preference for extremely sweet tastes also drank more alcohol—though no one in the study was a heavy drinker. One possible explanation for the link: Sugar and booze both affect your brain’s opioid system (responsible for reward and addictive behaviors), as well as the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine, says study coauthor David A. Kareken, Ph.D.
Your Skittles addiction probably isn’t a significant risk factor for alcoholism on its own, Kareken says. The research also doesn’t indicate that sugar causes the condition, or that cutting out the sweet stuff will turn you into a teetotaler. But sweet tooth or not, it’s still a good idea to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s alcohol guidelines: Stick to two drinks per day, and be wary if you’re downing five or more in a sitting, which is considered binge drinking.
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