Nutritional status of a group of alcoholics before and after admission to an alcoholism treatment unit.

The nutritional status of the alcoholic has been presumed to be less than adequate because of the large quantity of alcohol ingested. Most reports have focused on the derelict alcoholic. In contrast, the patients in this investigation are more representative of the usual alcoholic population. The pretreatment dietary histories of 58 alcoholics were compared with their actual dietary intake while they were hospitalized for the treatment of alcoholism. Comparisons were also made between dietary intake by history and Recommended Dietary Allowances. The mean calorie, protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake of the patients was adequate and was well within the Recommended Dietary Allowances ranges. After the patients stopped drinking, they increased their intake of all major nutrients, especially carbohydrates. A subgroup of 11 patients whose recent dietary intake by history was corroborated by their urinary nitrogen excretion had no change in total caloric intake after they stopped drinking.