Even though vitamin C consumption has been shown to raise circulation levels of vitamin B9 and lower Hcy levels [118,120,121], the relationship between them remains unknown. Figure 3 summarizes the vitamins and their possible mechanisms of action against the liver injury caused by alcohol consumption. Alcohol use disorder affects about 7.2% of people older than 12 years old, including 6.9% of males and 7.8% of females [8]. It has been described that excessive alcohol drinking promotes the pathogenesis of many diseases, such as cancer, liver cirrhosis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neuropsychiatric disorders [9,10,11,12]. In fact, it is estimated that an alcohol abuser typically gets 50 percent or more of total daily calories from alcohol.
I help people in recovery heal their bodies and minds so they can learn to love sober life—not just survive it. If you think supplements might help support your recovery, schedule a free chat with me. Together we will explore if a full three-month bio-repair program is the right next step for you. I can recommend supplements and tell you more about specifics.
What is the best multivitamin for alcoholics?
Processed foods or foods high in sugar can promote inflammation, encourage poor eating habits and fail to provide the nutrition you need to optimize your body during recovery. As with any supplement regimen, it is essential to consult with a healthcare provider to ensure these are appropriate and safe for your personal health circumstances. It is also important to remember that supplementation should support, not replace, a balanced diet. As you recover from alcohol, your body undergoes high stress.
Incorporating a variety of fruits and vegetables into your daily diet ensures a wide array of these beneficial compounds. Proteins also provide a feeling of satiety, preventing overeating and helping maintain a healthy weight, which is often challenging during recovery. Balancing your protein intake with other nutrients is important for a balanced diet during recovery. If obesity develops, it increases the risk of many different diseases. Malnutrition can be even worse, suppressing your immune system and leaving you unable to respond to even minor health problems. Prolonged alcohol use can also cause a severe deficiency in thiamine, a nutrient vital to brain health; this deficiency can lead to permanent brain damage.
Basic Supplements for Recovery
Chronic alcohol intake produces altered Hcy metabolism, which leads to fat storage, inflammation, and hepatocyte damage [110,111]. Hyperhomocysteinemia induced by ethanol and linked to oxidative endoplasmic reticulum stress triggers apoptosis and increases lipid production [112]. 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.
A doctor may recommend taking supplements to help them through the detoxification process. Vitamin C is another important vitamin for recovering alcoholics. Alcohol can cause malnutrition, malabsorption, and increased urinary excretion of the vitamin, leading to vitamin C deficiency.9 This deficiency can cause you vitamins for recovering alcoholics to feel tired, irritable, and weak. Severe deficiency, called scurvy, may result in anemia, bruising, and dental issues. Taking a vitamin C supplement can help you feel better, which is essential to maintaining your sobriety. There’s no way around it—when you drink heavily for a long period, your body takes a hit.
Treatment Facilities
A personalized plan can help make the most of nutritional therapy, so you may want to consider working with a dietitian. They’ll help you create a diet that addresses your unique health situation, weight, and personal diet needs. Ask your doctor for a referral, or contact your local hospital, community health center, or university. There are holistic addiction treatment centers and substance use treatment programs that emphasize nutrition education, too.
- Recommended dietary allowances (RDA) are population statistics, and they represent rough estimates of the average requirement of individuals within a population.
- 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.
- There are many resources that offer help, and it’s crucial to find one that suits your needs.
- Ask your doctor for a referral, or contact your local hospital, community health center, or university.
- This deficiency can lead to problems, such as slow wound healing, softening of the bones, skin problems, decreased blood clotting, and neurological damage.
Conversely, Gibson et al. [54] has shown that two weeks of moderate consumption of alcohol (i.e., red wine, or vodka) increased tHcy and reduced the statuses of both vitamin B9 and B12. In addition, other studies have studied vitamin B status as well [55,56,57]. For example, Van der Gaag et al. [55] showed that type-dependent alcohol had no effect on vitamin B12, but a fall in folate with spirits consumption and an increase in vitamin B6 with all alcohol types were observed.
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. A good diet can help promote improved energy and enhance the body’s ability to respond to physical stress during recovery. Your diet can also impact neurotransmitter levels and function and gut bacteria. Magnesium can help reduce alcohol cravings and improve sleep quality, both common problems during alcohol withdrawal. Zinc can help strengthen the immune system and help improve your mood.
For example, their body may become dependent on the alcohol, and their brain chemistry may change. The information we provide while responding to comments is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice. The responses to comments on fitrecovery.com are designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment. Please seek professional care if you believe you may have a condition.