If you or someone you know drinks alcohol to excess, you run the risk of having some serious nutrition deficiencies. Alcohol damages the liver, your body's main filtering organ, inhibiting the absorption of some vitamins and minerals in your intestines. Your pancreas, which supplies insulin to transport energy in the form of sugar to your body's tissues, suffers damage that impairs its function. A common reason for dietary deficiencies in alcoholics stems from a waning appetite as the ingestion of alcohol fills you up, leaving little room for food.
Vitamin Deficiencies
The most prominent vitamin deficiency in alcoholics occurs in the B-complex. A shortage of the B vitamins can contribute to cardiac disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, weakened immune systems, weakness, headaches, insomnia, depression, anemia and poor muscle coordination. Vitamin B-1, thiamine deficiency also causes Korsakoff's syndrome characterized by confusion, memory loss, delusions and amnesia. Another syndrome, Wenicke's disease, is marked by apathy, confusion and delirium according to "The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book." Another important deficiency seen in alcoholics is in vitamin C. This vitamin acts as an anti-toxin in your body. It protects the tissues from damage caused by free-radicals and foreign bodies.
Vitamin Sources
A diet that supplies the B and C vitamins plays an important role in combating the alcoholic's nutrient deficiencies. Foods rich in the B vitamins include cheese, yogurt, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, beans and spinach. Peas, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, walnuts, sunflower seeds and wheat germ also contain high amounts of the B vitamins. Good sources of B-12 include herring, mackerel, beef and lamb kidneys and pork livers. Due to the extent of the alcoholic's nutrient deficiencies, it becomes necessary to add supplements to the diet in addition to a daily multi-vitamin. A B-complex vitamin plus additional doses of vitamins B-1, B-3 and B-12 will provide ample coverage. You also need a daily dose of vitamin C by itself.
Mineral Deficiencies
Deficiencies in minerals commonly afflict the alcoholic. Zinc, needed for growth and reproduction, also protects your senses of vision, taste and smell, along with your immune system and your hormone levels. In men, zinc helps keep the prostate healthy. It also protects against environmental hazards such as lead and cadmium, which you encounter with exposure to car and bus fumes. Another mineral in short supply in alcoholics, magnesium, plays a number of roles in the body such as protection and support of the bones, teeth and muscles. Many psychiatric problems exist side by side with a shortage of magnesium. It also joins sodium, potassium and calcium in ensuring the heart muscle remains healthy. Alcohol, along with birth control pills and other medications, rob the body's supply of magnesium, which causes nutrient absorption problems.
Mineral Sources
Zinc is found in most foods, with the highest levels contained in meats, poultry dark meat, fish, oysters, liver, eggs, whole grains and peanuts. You get magnesium from many foods. You'll find the highest levels in milk, dairy products, meat, seafood, nuts, blackstrap molasses, soybeans, seeds and wheat germ. Oatmeal, cornmeal and rice have adequate amounts as well. The alcoholic needs to take additional supplements of zinc and magnesium due to their shortest supply in the body. Consult your physician for the therapeutic doses of vitamins and minerals over and above a daily multi-vitamin.
References
- "The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book"; Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., C.N.S., F.A.C.N., and Nancy Bruning; 2003
- Doctor Yourself: Alcoholism
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