Study, 2026
Does the menstrual cycle change how insulin affects the brain and food cravings?
Yes. Insulin affects brain networks that control food decisions differently in the first half of the cycle compared to the second half. The brain responds more strongly to food in the second half of the cycle.
What they did
The researchers gave premenopausal women intranasal insulin (insulin given through the nose as a spray) during the follicular phase (first half of the cycle) and the luteal phase (second half of the cycle). They measured brain activity using imaging and checked hormone levels. They showed women pictures of food and measured brain responses.
What they found
When women received insulin during the follicular phase, it increased brain activity in networks related to decision-making and awareness. During the luteal phase, it had the opposite effect. The brain showed stronger responses to pictures of sweet food during the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase. These brain changes matched patterns in estradiol and progesterone hormone levels.
What it means for you
The menstrual cycle changes how the brain responds to hunger signals and food. This might explain why some women feel hungrier during the second half of their cycle. This study used insulin given through the nose in a lab, so results may not apply to eating in everyday life.
2
menstrual cycle phases studied
follicular
phase with more decision-making brain activity from insulin
luteal
phase with stronger brain response to food
About the study
- Original title
- The interplay of central insulin and menstrual cycle on functional brain networks and neural food cue reactivity in women
- Authors
- Hummel J, Zhao S, Sobotta S et al.
- Journal
- Communications biology
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Intranasal insulin administration during different menstrual cycle phases
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-09341-9
Original abstract
The menstrual cycle impacts food intake, peripheral metabolism, and brain function. One well-known central regulator of eating behavior is the hormone insulin. Here, we show that the responsiveness of functional brain networks to central insulin varies dynamically across the menstrual cycle in premenopausal women. Intranasal insulin (INI) administration increases functional connectivity within networks that support decision-making processes (namely the default mode and salience network) in the follicular compared to the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. In contrast, INI decreases functional connectivity within the somatosensory network during the follicular phase relative to the luteal phase. In response to visual food cues, hippocampus and dorsal striatum activity are higher in the luteal compared to the follicular phase, particularly to sweet food. Estradiol and progesterone levels predict these changes. This could contribute to higher food craving and food intake observed in the luteal phase. Our findings emphasize sex hormones' role in modulating brain sensitivity to hormonal signals and external stimuli.
Reproduced under CC-BY.