Sweets might help alcoholics kick the habit

Naltrexone is used primarily to treat alcohol dependence.

London: Alcoholics who have a sweet tooth are more likely to kick the habit using a common drug treatment, according to a new study.

Naltrexone, a drug that blocks opioid receptors in the brain, is used primarily to treat alcohol dependence, but is effective only in around 78 percent of people, reports New Scientist. David Sinclair and colleagues at the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, Finland, asked 78 study subjects with alcohol dependence who had taken the drug recently to rate their preference for sugar solutions. They found that those who had the least liking for sweetness were more likely to revert to drinking. Sweet tastes and alcohol both trigger opioid chemicals that stir up pleasure. ANI