For example, alcohol inhibits fat absorption and thereby impairs absorption of the vitamins A, E, and D that are normally absorbed along with dietary fats (12,13). Vitamin A deficiency can be associated with night blindness, and vitamin D deficiency is associated with softening of the bones (6).
One of the most common and serous types of alcohol-related vitamin deficiency is lack of B vitamins like Thiamine, which is an essential vitamin for neurobiological health.
Heavy drinkers may benefit from adding vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, and B9 supplements as indicated by symptoms of deficiencies, and under professional medical guidance. Vitamin B1 deficiency can be treated by ceasing alcohol consumption (with professional help), improving nutritional factors, and taking B1 supplements.
Because alcohol causes damage to the organs involved in digesting, absorbing and processing nutrients, it can lead to nutrient deficiencies in those who drink at high-risk levels. The key nutrients affected include thiamin, folate, B12, vitamin A, magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc and folic acid.
Drinking water should be your first port of call before even thinking about food. Drinking alcohol severely dehydrates you, which means your clever body will begin drawing hydration stores from places including your brain (hello headache). This is why it's so important to replenish the level of water in your system.
Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems including: High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum.
With heavy alcohol intake, there can be a loss of magnesium from tissues and increased urinary loss (Pasqualetti et al., 1987; Shane and Flink, 1991). Chronic alcohol abuse has been reported to deplete the total body supply of magnesium (Vandemergel and Simon, 2015).
Thiamine deficiency is particularly important because it can exacerbate many of the other processes by which alcohol induces brain injury, as described in other articles in this issue of Alcohol Research & Health.
One Month After Quitting
You may notice a reduced amount of belly fat, and the most improvement in your skin happens around this time. Your energy level will continue to rise and you likely feel renewed physically.
Another important antioxidant is vitamin E. Alcoholics with cirrhosis often have low vitamin E levels in the liver (Leo et al. 1993), whereas alcoholics without cirrhosis generally have vitamin E levels within the normal range. Therefore, administration of vitamin E supplements may be useful only for some alcoholics.
Long-term drinking lowers vitamin A levels in the liver, which is the main site of alcohol breakdown and vitamin A storage, while raising vitamin A levels in many other tissues.
Alcohol use inhibits absorption of nutrients.
Not only is alcohol devoid of proteins, minerals, and vitamins, it actually inhibits the absorption and usage of vital nutrients such as thiamin (vitamin B1), vitamin B12, folic acid, and zinc.
The presence of significant amounts of alcohol in your body can also directly destroy all members of the B vitamin family. In addition to B9 and B12, this family includes B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid) and B6 (pyridoxine).
Most patients who develop electrolyte imbalance, metabolic acidosis, and hyponatremia are admitted to hospital. However, clinical symptoms of chronic alcohol consumption are also decreased levels of phosphate, magnesium, potassium, sodium and calcium, and other elements in blood plasma [8,9,10].
Early symptoms of thiamin deficiency are vague. They include fatigue, irritability, poor memory, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, abdominal discomfort, and weight loss. Eventually, a severe thiamin deficiency (beriberi) may develop, characterized by nerve, heart, and brain abnormalities.
Can I drink alcohol while taking thiamine? Long-term drinking or heavy drinking can stop your body from absorbing thiamine (vitamin B1). If you're taking thiamine for vitamin B1 deficiency, it's best to avoid drinking alcohol as this will make your symptoms worse.
An important mechanism in alcohol-induced injury is biomolecular oxidative damage. Folic acid is supplied to chronic alcoholic patients in order to prevent this situation, as this is the main vitamin deficiency that they suffer from.
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 (15).
One study on chronic alcoholics suggested that magnesium supplementation over six weeks decreases abnormally high activities of three enzymes related to liver function: serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), aspartate-aminotransferase (ASAT) and alanine-aminotransferase (ALAT), and increases muscle strength [4].
Magnesium deficiency is diagnosed via a blood test and sometimes a urine test. Your doctor may order the blood test if you have symptoms such as weakness, irritability, abnormal heart rhythm, nausea and/or diarrhoea, or if you have abnormal calcium or potassium levels.
If you stop drinking alcohol for 2 weeks, your liver should return to normal.
Generally, symptoms of alcoholic liver disease include abdominal pain and tenderness, dry mouth and increased thirst, fatigue, jaundice (which is yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, and nausea. Your skin may look abnormally dark or light. Your feet or hands may look red.
NIAAA defines heavy drinking as follows: For men, consuming more than 4 drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks per week. For women, consuming more than 3 drinks on any day or more than 7 drinks per week.