Nutritional Effect of Alcohol Consuming

Nutrition is a process that serves two purposes:
1. To provide energy
2. To maintain body structure and function

Alcohol -- High calories

· Alcohol contains about 9Kcal per gram. These calories do not provide any of the carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins or minerals needed to maintain our body functions.
· When large amount of alcohol are consumed, the body senses that its caloric needs have been met and therefore produces a decreased demand for other nutritional food.

How alcohol contribute to malnutrition?

· Alcohol interferes with the normal metabolisms such as absorption and storage of essential nutrients. Generally, it inhibits the breakdown of nutrients into usable molecules by decreasing the secretion of digestive enzymes from the pancreas.
· Alcohol impairs nutrient absorption—it damages the cells lining the stomach and intestines and disables transport of nutrients into blood.
· Nutritional deficiencies lead to further absorption problems. E.g. Folate deficiency alters the cells lining the small intestine which in turn impairs absorption of water and nutrients like glucose, sodium and additional folate.
Even if nutrients are digested and absorbed, alcohol can prevent them from being fully utilized by altering their transport, storage, and excretion. Decreased liver stores of vitamins such as vitamin A, and increased excretion of nutrients such as fat, indicate impaired utilization of nutrients by alcoholics.

Vitamins.

Vitamins are essential to maintaining growth and normal metabolism because they regulate many physiological processes.
· Chronic heavy drinking may cause deficiencies in many vitamins because of decreased food ingestion, impaired absorption, metabolism, and utilization.
E.g. alcohol inhibits fat absorption and thereby impairs absorption of the vitamins A, E, and D that are normally absorbed along with dietary fats. Vitamin A deficiency can be associated with night blindness, and vitamin D deficiency is associated with softening of the bones.
Vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and the B vitamins, also deficient in some alcoholics, are all involved in wound healing and cell maintenance. For example, since vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting, deficiencies of that vitamin can cause delayed clotting and result in excess bleeding. Deficiencies of other vitamins involved in brain function can cause severe neurological damage.

Minerals.

Deficiencies of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc are common in alcoholics, although alcohol itself does not seem to affect the absorption of these minerals. Rather, deficiencies seem to occur secondary to other alcohol-related problems:
a. decreased calcium absorption due to fat malabsorption;
b. magnesium deficiency due to decreased intake, increased urinary excretion, vomiting, and diarrhea ;
c. iron deficiency related to gastrointestinal bleeding
d. zinc malabsorption or losses related to other nutrient deficiencies .
Mineral deficiencies can cause a variety of medical consequences from calcium-related bone disease to zinc-related night blindness and skin lesions.

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