Why women crave chocolate at certain times of month, according to scientists

You’re not the only one buying out the candy aisle during your period.

A study has found a change in women’s brains at that certain time of the month that could affect their appetite and lead them to crave junk food.

The research published in Nature Metabolism found differences in insulin sensitivity at different phases of the menstrual cycle.

Food cravings were not specifically studied in the research, but the experts noted that the increased sensitivity to insulin during monthly menstruation could explain the strong cravings.

“The brain contributes to metabolic changes and probably changes eating behavior across the menstrual cycle,” Martin Heni, a professor of endocrinology at Ulm University Hospital in Germany and co-senior author of the study, told Scientific American.

“This is nothing bad. It’s physiological, but it may explain what many women report to us about what they feel across the menstrual cycle. This can be one underlying mechanism.”

Researchers at the University of Tuebingen in Germany studied women’s brains after they were given a nasal spray of insulin — to replicate what happens when the hormone crosses into the brain — or a placebo.

The participants were studied as they underwent two phases of the menstrual cycle: the follicular phase and the luteal phase.

The follicular phase occurs when an egg is being prepared for ovulation, which usually begins on the first day of a period and ends once ovulation starts. The luteal phase begins after ovulation when the egg moves to the uterus. 

The researchers discovered that the brain was more sensitive to insulin during the follicular phase and less reactive to the hormone during the luteal phase.

Previous research has found that when insulin reaches the brain, it can make women less hungry and more likely to snack. Meanwhile, insulin resistance is thought to increase food cravings. 

This new discovery could help to explain their increased appetite and unhealthy cravings during the second half of the cycle.

It could also explain premenstrual mood swings, as insulin action in the brain may affect emotions.

This study comes as experts continue to call for more research into the menstrual cycle.

“Menstrual health is significantly understudied and underrepresented in research and medicine,” Dr. Alison Edelman, a physician and scientist at Oregon Health & Science University, previously told The Post.