Alcohol Use Disorder: Nutrition During Recovery

It is critical to address thiamine deficiency as early as possible to prevent or alleviate the symptoms of WKS. Many holistic healers believe there is a link between sugar and alcoholism. That is, when alcohol is consumed there is an initial energy rush, followed best vitamins for recovering alcoholics by a severe drop in energy due to dropping sugar levels (blood glucose levels). Drinking too much on a single occasion or over time can severely impact your health. When you drink, the process of metabolizing alcohol utilizes nutrients in your body.

Vitamin Supplements as a Nutritional Strategy against Chronic Alcohol Consumption? An Updated Review

Replenishing vitamins and nutrients in a body depleted by alcoholism can help boost energy levels and diminish unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, helping greatly with the recovery process. However, advanced ALD is often irreversible and does not improve with alcohol abstinence alone. In the management of patients with ALD, it is important to assess and provide guidance on lifestyle habits such as diet, along with reducing alcohol consumption. As shown in Table 1, the recommended energy and protein levels vary by ALD stage (Table 1). Patients with ALD should receive appropriate nutritional assessment and nutritional support [21].

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The most surefire way to get sufficient B12 from food is by eating animal-based products including, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy. “Many animal foods contain adequate amounts of vitamin B12 because they acquire this bacteria throughout their lives,” Kitchens explains, adding that there is often B12 added to the feed that livestock consume. The Good Housekeeping Institute tested more than 30 brands of B12 supplements, and chose Nature made B mcg as the best overall option, and Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw B12 as the best vegan supplement. Most supplements have far more than the 2.4 mcg recommended for adults, but experts say there is no harmful upper limit of the vitamin—any excess that your body doesn’t absorb will just come out in your urine. Eating a diet devoid of any animal products, fortified plant-based products, or supplements is one of the ways you can deplete your body of B12, but there are other reasons your body may not get enough of the nutrient. It’s difficult to resist sugary foods such as a melt-in-your-mouth dessert or a super-sweet beverage.

Overall rating for Multivitamins (Oral, Sublingual)

Those who eat red meats typically get enough iron, but certain circumstances like having your menstrual cycle, going through puberty, and being pregnant may increase the amount of iron you need. This is because iron is essential during times of rapid growth and development. Vegetarians and vegans may also want to make sure their multivitamin has iron, especially if they’re not supplementing meat with other iron-rich foods. For starters, a daily multivitamin can help provide a good foundation for your health.

These include supplements for alcohol cravings, repairing your liver, and rebalancing your nervous system. Supplementing with specific vitamins and minerals like thiamine, vitamin C, and magnesium can support your liver’s recovery and restore essential nutrients that AUD has depleted. Alcohol depletes and inhibits the absorption of vital nutrients, including vitamins. This makes a person with alcohol use disorder more likely to have one or more vitamin deficiencies. People with alcohol use disorder are more likely to have a less nutritious diet, which exacerbates vitamin deficiencies. Alcohol tends to affect the absorption of all vitamins, but particularly vitamin B12, which depletes even with moderate alcohol use.

• Several research articles have linked alcohol-mediated oxidative stress and ethanol-inducible CYP2E1 with oxidative stress and their toxicity, both in in vitro and in vivo models.
• People who drink alcohol are at higher risk of calcium deficiency, since alcohol interferes with your body’s ability to properly absorb this vital nutrient.
• In contrast, Laufer et al. [56] only showed an effect of ethanol on vitamin B12, with no effect on vitamin B9.
• SmartyPants Women’s Formula is NSF Certified and a Clean Label Project Purity Award winner, making it a trusted option for women looking to supplement with a tasty gummy.
• Alcohol can affect calcium balance in the body, which is critical for strong bones.

Foods for Your Brain

Although the American Heart Association recommends you eat 5.5 ounces of protein per day, the kind of protein you eat matters. It can be difficult to eliminate some of these things from your diet completely, so don’t feel bad about occasionally having a small serving of an unhealthy indulgence. These tasty gummies will have you looking forward to your supplement routine. They are made with natural flavors and colorings and organic cane sugar. They are also non-GMO and free of common food allergens, including gluten, milk, eggs, shellfish, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts. This product is both internally and third-party tested for purity and quality, including heavy metal testing, and is also Clean Label Project Certified.

• Additionally, low selenium may cause ballooning of hepatocytes [116].
• Alcohol depletes and inhibits the absorption of vital nutrients, including vitamins.
• The right combination of vitamins and supplements can not only help you feel physically healthier, it can also help you overcome alcohol cravings and common long-term withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and depression.
• Consider which form you will tolerate best and can easily incorporate into your daily routine.
• WKS often results due to inadequate absorption of thiamine from the digestive system, a common consequence of excessive alcohol consumption.
• This is because iron is essential during times of rapid growth and development.

If you’re working on reducing your drinking, milk thistle can be one way to protect your liver from the damaging effects of alcohol. Previous research has linked alterations in methionine metabolism to ethanol-induced alcoholic liver damage [113,114,115]. Recommended dietary allowances (RDA) are population statistics, and they represent rough estimates of the average requirement of individuals within a population. However, for most micronutrients, part of the information that is required to accurately calculate the daily intake is either unknown or incomplete. Thus, the recommendations are made based on several assumptions and considerations that could lead to large variations in the eventual RDA [39,40]. In addition, notwithstanding emerging evidence of the remarkable individual differences in the absorption and excretion of vitamins, these values have changed little over the years.

Iron and Calcium for Blood and Bones