Alcoholism and obesity

People with a family history of alcoholism may be more likely to become obese. Researchers from Washington University in St Louis studied 80,000 people taking part in a national survey in 2001 and 2002. They found that women with a family history of alcoholism were 49% more likely to be obese than those without. Men who had a family history of alcoholism were also at a greater risk of becoming too fat but to a lesser extent. The researchers think that the link might be due to the fact that the high levels of fat and sugar in junk food affect the same 'reward' centres in the brain that alcohol does.