Nachos and beer may seem like a natural combo, and now scientists have research to back up why people become ravenous when they start drinking.

A new study in "Nature Communications" led by researchers from the Francis Crick Institute in London, examined overeating after a night of drinking and found a link between alcohol and the neurons normally activated by starvation and evoke intense hunger.

Researchers note that they were initially confused by cravings for food after drinking, as alcohol is full of calories and the intake of calories tends to suppress the brain's desire to eat.

A previous study in the March 2015 edition of "Current Obesity Reports" linked food intake to loss of inhibition when a person is drinking, while the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking suggested in a 2016 report that alcohol stimulates the release of the brain's reward system and leads to overeating.

"Although ethanol (EtOH, the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages) is the second most calorie-dense nutrient after fat, it stimulates rather than inhibits eating," they wrote in the study, published online January 10.

Mice were given samples of ethanol for three days – equivalent to a 150-pound person drinking a bottle-and-half of wine every day -- and then a saline solution for three days before and after, to mimic "an alcoholic weekend."

On the days the mice imbibed ethanol, food consumption significantly increased in both males and females.

Brain slices taken from the animals showed ethanol activated and increased AgRP cells, acting like hunger hormones.

AgRP cells are cell bodies located in the hypothalamus that act as appetite stimulators.

When the animals were given a solution that blocked AgRP cells from being activated, their food intake was decreased and alcohol didn't lead to overeating.

"These data suggest that alcohol-induced overeating is an evolutionarily conserved biological phenomenon occurring across mammals, irrespective of aesthetic beliefs and social conditioning," researchers wrote.

However, they say that it is important to note that there could be other sites beyond AgRP cells where alcohol could influence eating.

Researchers write that they hope their findings can help offer insight into pathological "overeating behaviour" linked to morbid disorders.