Got the ‘Drunchies’?

The “drunchies,” or the drunk munchies, are no joke. The urge to eat salty, fatty foods after a drinking binge is real, according to new research led by the University at Buffalo, and it can have a damaging impact on the dietary habits of college students.

Research on the effects of drinking on diet is scarce, says lead author Jessica Kruger, clinical assistant professor in UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions. With obesity continuing to rise in America, and 65 percent of U.S. college students reporting that they regularly drink alcohol, Kruger says it’s important to study how alcohol consumption impacts what college students eat, particularly given the typical profusion of unhealthy fast-food options on or around college campuses.

Using an anonymous online survey, the research team asked a sample of 286 students a series of questions to find out how drinking affected their eating habits, both at the end of a night of drinking and the following morning.

They found that participants were more likely to eat before going to bed if they had been drinking, and that they tended to opt for salty snack foods and pizza rather than the vegetables and other healthy foods they would ordinarily consume.

As for the following morning, participants were less likely to skip meals if they had been drinking the night before, but again they favored foods like pizza or tacos over healthier options.

Kruger says the fluctuating blood glucose levels and dehydration that follow a drinking binge may drive some of these urges. Also playing a role could be the so-called hangover cures that get passed down to students, advocating eating foods that “soak up” the alcohol. Dispelling such myths, Kruger says, is one way to promote a healthy diet even when faced with the drunchies.

Kruger says the findings point to the need for universities to encourage healthy eating at all times of the day, including late at night, by reducing the offerings of unhealthy foods and promoting better options.