Alcohol and Nutrition

Abstract

Alcohol differs from other pharmacologically active agents in that it is not generally used as a therapeutic agent by the medical profession. Alcoholic beverages are used by the consumer for their mood-altering effects and pleasing tastes. Although alcohol is generally socially acceptable, it may, even in moderate amounts, affect nutritional status. It is difficult, however, to define ‘moderate’ consumption of alcohol. Lieber (1984) considers ‘moderate’ a daily intake of up to 50 to 60 ml of absolute alcohol or 4–5 fl. oz. of 86° proof beverage. The most recent figures available on alcohol consumption show that it is increasing (Makela et al., 1981). These figures parallel the rate of cirrhosis mortality (Table 4.1). It is estimated that in Canada the approximate number of hazardous drinkers increased from 260 000 in 1951 to 669 000 in 1970 (Alcoholism and Drug Addictions Research Foundation, 1972). In North America, alcoholism is now marked as either the third or fourth major health problem. The association between alcohol consumption and hepatic cirrhosis has been known for centuries. The relation between the amount of alcohol consumed and the incidence of death from cirrhosis in various Western countries is shown in Figure 4.1