Heatwave warning to men as soaring temperatures raise risk of ‘surprising’ health problem
HEAT makes fellas eat more, experts say – but it does not have the same effect on women.
Sunny weather boosts men’s levels of the “hunger hormone” ghrelin.
A study found they scoff an extra 300 calories per day in the summer months when UV rays are the strongest.
It could be bad news for blokes’ beach bods and mean they need to be more active to avoid piling on the pounds.
But the female sex hormone oestrogen stops the same thing happening to women, said scientists at Tel Aviv University.
Professor Carmit Levy said: “This was a huge surprise – no-one has ever shown that ghrelin increases after UV exposure and it is a big deal because it’s a major appetite hormone.
“We saw that testosterone also goes up so maybe men are more active in the summer, but if your lifestyle stays the same then you would probably gain weight.”
It comes as the UK heatwave is set to hit record highs this week, with weather chiefs warning the mercury could top 40C for the first time ever.
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A study of 3,000 people in Israel found that men guzzled 2,188 calories per day between March and September, compared to 1,875 per day in the autumn and winter.
The extra 313 calories is about equal to adding a medium portion of McDonald’s fries to their daily diet.
Blokes also said they felt hungry more often in the summer.
Women did not feel any more hungry and did not eat more calories than normal, the study revealed in the journal Nature Metabolism.
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Lab tests on mice and humans proved that ghrelin – known as “the hunger hormone” because it controls appetite – is increased by UVB rays from the sun hitting male skin.
The effect is likely stronger on pasty Brits than people with dark skin, which is better at blocking the sun.
Prof Levy said sun damage puts stress on the body and stress is known to increase ghrelin.
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Her study in 2021 found that sunny weather also boosts people’s sex drive – which could be a clue to why men eat more.
She added: “Male animals require more energy for fertility and generating sperm so it makes sense that they will be hunting more for food and be more sensitive to environmental cues.”