Nutritional profiles of chronic alcoholics

An epidemiological study of 58 variables from 300 chronic alcoholic and normal subjects was carried out in the Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Neurology, Psychiatry and Alcohology Departments in order to research, within this chronic alcoholic population, a correlation between diet, alcohol intake, tobacco use and the various alcohol-related diseases. A standardized questionnaire (previously tested) was used to relate dietary intakes (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, water and energy) to drinking and smoking habits. Discriminant analyses were used as appropriate. The alcoholic population is made up of subjects with strong oral-intake behaviour and can be classified in relation to their alcohol-related diseases. The alcoholics with cardiovascular and digestive diseases have the two (1st and 2nd) richest diets, respectively, consisting mainly of saturated fats and animal proteins, together with the lowest daily alcohol intake, the highest recorded total quantities of alcohol intake and the longest period of alcohol abuse before alcohol-related disease diagnosis. The 4th and 5th places can be reserved for the alcoholics with neurological and psychiatric diseases with opposite eating and drinking behaviours, i.e. with the poorest diet (less in terms of proteins and fats, although more than the normal population), the highest daily alcohol intake, the lowest quantities of total alcohol intake and the shortest time of alcohol abuse before disease diagnosis. The alcoholic population with subjects free of alcohol-related disease including mixed subjects, who either had not yet started or will never present any alcohol-related disease, occupy the intermediate place (3rd) in this classification.