Taste of beer ‘makes you want to drink more’

The taste of beer releases a chemical in the brain which makes people want to drink more and take other drugs, research has found.

Beer’s taste, without any effect from alcohol, can trigger the production of dopamine in the brain, the study by researchers from Indiana University found.

People with a family history of alcoholism also showed even higher levels of dopamine — a neuro-transmitter associated with the brain’s reward and pleasure centres.