Men vs. Women: Why appetite works differently

One client once told me, "I have more appetite and eat more than my partner, and I feel bad about it"…

First, let me assure you: that’s completely normal. Second, why compare your meals to his in the first place? Men and women are built differently, with different hormones, metabolic rates, and energy needs. The idea that women should automatically eat less than men? That’s a myth that needs to go.

Appetite is influenced by multiple factors, from biology to activity levels, and comparing your hunger to someone else’s (especially someone of a different gender) can be both misleading and unhelpful. Instead of worrying about eating less than someone else, the question you should ask yourself is: Are you properly fueling your body, or are you too focused on eating less than others?

Appetite and fluctuations across the menstrual cycle

We often have different appetites...because of hormones. There’s a complex interplay of sex hormones, particularly estrogen and androgens, which significantly influences food intake and metabolism differently in men and women. This ‘hormonal dance’ plays a key role in appetite regulation, especially for women, whose experience is further complicated by the menstrual cycle.

Food intake fluctuates across the menstrual cycle, with a decrease during the follicular phase (especially periovulatory) and an increase during the luteal phase (before menstruation) ¹.

Ovarian hormone levels and proposed variations in food cravings across the menstrual cycle. Source: (Hallam et al.)

This pattern aligns with findings in other primates, suggesting a biologically driven effect linked to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis (the body’s hormone control system that regulates reproduction, menstrual cycles, and related functions) ¹.

Pregnancy, Lactation, Hormonal shifts and Appetite

Pregnancy and lactation have a profound impact on appetite and energy needs. During these stages, women experience a significant increase in energy intake to support fetal growth and milk production. This increased demand is driven by a complex interplay of hormones, including progesterone, human placental lactogen (hPL), and prolactin.

• Prolactin levels remain high during lactation, stimulating milk production while also influencing appetite.

• hPL and prolactin contribute to leptin resistance during pregnancy, meaning the brain becomes less responsive to leptin, the hormone that signals fullness.

The result? Increased appetite, ensuring the mother consumes enough energy to nourish both herself and the growing baby ² ³ ⁴.

Snacking and hunger cues differences

Men and women often approach eating differently. While men tend to eat primarily in response to biological hunger cues, women's eating habits can be more influenced by external and emotional factors.

(Although, to be fair, this could just be a stereotype: aka women are more emotional, right? Hmm?)

On average, women snack more frequently and often choose healthier options like fruit. Increased snacking frequency (in both genders) is associated with higher overall energy intake⁵, as more snacks generally mean more calories consumed. However, whether this leads to weight gain depends on different factors.

Some research suggests that hormonal differences may also play a role. Women may naturally have higher ghrelin levels (the “hunger hormone”) and lower leptin sensitivity (the “satiety hormone”), which could affect appetite regulation⁶. Additionally, women are more likely than men to eat in the absence of physical hunger aka eating when not hungry ⁵.

Unpaid labor, more tasks, and more stress…and maybe more appetite

Women globally spend significantly more time than men on unpaid care work, such as childcare, housework, and caring for elderly family members. According to the United Nations, women perform a staggering 76.2% of total unpaid care work (more than three times the amount done by men)⁷.

Women often face the challenge of balancing work and family responsibilities, especially when raising children. This constant juggling can lead to chronic stress, burnout, and sleep deprivation, all of which may contribute to increased appetite and stress eating. According to the Stress in America™ survey, women report higher and rising stress levelscompared to men and feel less confident in their ability to manage it effectively⁸.

Here’s an interesting difference: men tend to respond to stress with a decreased appetite. Women, on the other hand, are more susceptible to emotional eating in response to stress ⁹.

Exercise, appetite hormones, and the gender differences

Regardless of gender, physically active individuals have better appetite regulation compared to inactive individuals ¹⁰ ¹².

Men and women respond similarly to short-term (acute) exercise in terms of appetite, appetite-regulating hormones, and energy intake. Research indicates that exercise temporarily suppresses appetite . However, findings from long-term (chronic) exercise studies are less clear. Some evidence suggests that women may experience hormonal shifts that stimulate appetite when starting an exercise routine, while men do not ¹¹.

Difference in cravings

Some research suggests that women experience stronger and more frequent food cravings than men, both in baseline cravings (tonic craving: occurring without external stimuli, e.g., frequently craving popcorn) and in response to food cues (cue-induced craving: triggered by seeing, smelling, or thinking about food, e.g., passing by a KFC and suddenly feeling hungry) ¹³.

These differences may help explain why women often find dieting and weight management more challenging than men, as cravings can make it harder to regulate appetite and food intake.

Also women actively dieting to lose weight reported stronger and more frequent cravings, particularly for foods they were trying to restrict. These cravings were experienced even when they were not particularly hungry or in a ‘‘low mood’’, suggesting that restriction itself may increase desire for certain foods ¹⁴.

Women prioritize healthy eating more than men

Women tend to make more health-conscious food choices than men, not just for ‘’weight control’’, but because they place greater importance on nutrition and overall well-being ¹⁵ ¹⁶.

Studies from different populations highlight this pattern. Research across 23 countries found that women are more likely to avoid high-fat foods, consume more fruits and fiber, and limit salt intake ¹⁷. A study carried in Italy showed that women favor vegetables, whole grains, tofu, and dark chocolate with high cocoa content, while men consume more red and processed meat ¹⁵.

Another study carried in Sweden found that women are more likely to avoid gluten, red meat, white flour, and food additives due to concerns about their health effects. Women in this study also reported more interest in new dietary research and a greater focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, though they also experienced more anxiety over diet quality ¹⁸.

Some of the findings suggest that women are generally more proactive about food choices, often prioritizing health even beyond weight-related concerns. Which is great news! The number on the scale tells us nothing about overall health. We should always focus on muscle mass, bone density, endurance, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being beside our weight.

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So yes, next time you feel guilty about having more appetite or being hungrier than your partner, think about all of these factors. Men and women are not on equal ground, even when it comes to appetite and hunger. Our bodies are wired differently, and for a good reason.

Consider this: women can lose their cycle and ovulation (fertility) when they don’t eat enough or have too little body fat, a condition known as Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (FHA). That’s how evolution built us: not enough food, not enough body fat = no baby. The body prioritizes survival over reproduction, and when energy intake is too low, hormonal balance is affected.

Appetite is a biological signal and a reminder that your body needs fuel to function, thrive, and sustain life. So please, honor your hunger and fuel yourself well! And if you need a nutritionist to guide you on your health journey, I would love to help!

I look forward to helping you thrive!
M.

Curious to learn more ? Check out other articles on the blog for tips, myths, and science-backed insights:

References (to geek out further):

1.Hallam, Jessica, et al. “Gender-Related Differences in Food Craving and Obesity.” The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, vol. 89, no. 2, 27 June 2016, p. 161, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4918881/#s7.

2.Asarian, Lori, and Nori Geary. “Sex Differences in the Physiology of Eating.” American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, vol. 305, no. 11, 1 Dec. 2013, pp. R1215–R1267, https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00446.2012.

3.Lopez Vicchi, Felicitas, and Damasia Becu-Villalobos. “Prolactin: The Bright and the Dark Side.” Endocrinology, vol. 158, no. 6, 1 June 2017, pp. 1556–1559, https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2017-00184.

4.“Human Placenta Lactogen - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.” Www.sciencedirect.com,

www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/human-placenta-lactogen

5.Feraco, Alessandra, et al. “Assessing Gender Differences in Food Preferences and Physical Activity: A Population-Based Survey.” Frontiers in Nutrition, vol. 11, 20 Feb. 2024, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10912473/, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1348456.

6.Davy, Brenda M., et al. “Sex Differences in Acute Energy Intake Regulation.” Appetite, vol. 49, no. 1, July 2007, pp. 141–147, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2007.01.010.

7.International Labour Organization. “ILO: Women Do 4 Times More Unpaid Care Work than Men in Asia and the Pacific | International Labour Organization.” Www.ilo.org, 27 June 2018, www.ilo.org/resource/news/ilo-women-do-4-times-more-unpaid-care-work-men-asia-and-pacific.

8.American Psychological Association. “Stress by Gender.” Apa.org, 2023, www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2012/gender-report.pdf.

9.Manippa, Valerio, et al. “Gender Differences in Food Choice: Effects of Superior Temporal Sulcus Stimulation.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 11, 7 Dec. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5725471/, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00597.

10.Thackray, Alice, et al. “Exercise, Appetite and Weight Control: Are There Differences between Men and Women?” Nutrients, vol. 8, no. 9, 21 Sept. 2016, p. 583, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8090583.

11.Caruso, Lorenzo, et al. “Physical Exercise and Appetite Regulation: New Insights.” Biomolecules, vol. 13, no. 8, 27 July 2023, pp. 1170–1170, https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13081170.

12.Howe, Stephanie, et al. “No Effect of Exercise Intensity on Appetite in Highly-Trained Endurance Women.” Nutrients, vol. 8, no. 4, 18 Apr. 2016, p. 223, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8040223.

13.Hallam, Jessica, et al. “Gender-Related Differences in Food Craving and Obesity.” The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, vol. 89, no. 2, 27 June 2016, p. 161, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4918881/#s7.

14.Massey, Anna, and Andrew J. Hill. “Dieting and Food Craving. A Descriptive, Quasi-Prospective Study.” Appetite, vol. 58, no. 3, June 2012, pp. 781–785, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.01.020.

15.Feraco, Alessandra, et al. “Assessing Gender Differences in Food Preferences and Physical Activity: A Population-Based Survey.” Frontiers in Nutrition, vol. 11, 20 Feb. 2024, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10912473/, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1348456.

16.Bédard, Alexandra, et al. “Gender Differences in the Appetite Response to a Satiating Diet.” Journal of Obesity, vol. 2015, 2015, pp. 1–9, https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/140139.

17.Wardle, Jane, et al. “Gender Differences in Food Choice: The Contribution of Health Beliefs and Dieting.” Annals of Behavioral Medicine, vol. 27, no. 2, Apr. 2004, pp. 107–116, link.springer.com/article/10.1207%2Fs15324796abm2702_5, https://doi.org/10.1207/s15324796abm2702_5.

18.Bärebring, Linnea, et al. “Gender Differences in Perceived Food Healthiness and Food Avoidance in a Swedish Population-Based Survey: A Cross Sectional Study.” Nutrition Journal, vol. 19, no. 1, 29 Dec. 2020, nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-020-00659-0, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-020-00659-0.