Improving diet also helps brain function, which can be important for improvingwillpowerneeded for recovery.

This means they are getting less energy from alcohol calories than from food calories.

Maintenance of Function

Proteins, vitamins, and minerals are essential for maintaining proper body function.

woman drinking alcohol

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Vitamins

Vitamins help regulate many physiological processes in the body essential to maintaining growth and normal metabolism.

By impairing absorption, metabolism, and utilization of vitamins, chronic heavy drinking can cause vitamin deficiencies.

Minerals

Alcoholics have been found to have deficiencies in calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.

Research shows that drinking alcohol itself does not limit the absorption of minerals, but alcohol-related problems do.

Here’s an overview of how this can impact your nutrition and cause medical complications.

Research has found that dietary fructose plus ethanol promotes liver inflammation.

Alcohol also depletes carotenoids, a major source of vitamin A and E in the liver.

Other research has suggested that malnutrition can increase the risk of developing alcoholic pancreatitis.

Alcohol has been shown to restrict nutrition flow to the fetus.

Plus, you may also be facing a risk of damage from poor nutrition.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

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