Overview Alcohol and Vitamin D

Vitamin D Life references

• Vitamin D interplay with pain - May 2020
• Alcohol while pregnant lowers the vitamin D levels in Winter and Spring – Jan 2017
• Alchoholics have low Calcium and low Vitamin D, increasing Vit D might help – Nov 2016
• Hypothesis lack of vitamin D leads to depression leads to alcohol use
• Alcoholics with low vitamin D get more bone fractures -Jan 2011
• Alcoholics have osteoporosis – Nov 2010
  • Perhaps: too much alcohol ==> liver failure ==>less vitamin D ==> poor bones
• Overview Fractures and Falls and Vitamin D
• Overview Liver and vitamin D

11+ Vitamin D Life pages have ALCOHOL but not non-alcoholic in the title

This list is automatically updated

Chronic Alcohol Consumption reduces Vitamins, such as D - March 2022

Vitamin Supplements as a Nutritional Strategy against Chronic Alcohol Consumption? An Updated Review
"Alcohol use disorder affects about 7.2% of people older than 12 years old"
 Download the PDF from Vitamin D Life

Chronic Alcohol Consumption causes about half of alcohol-related Cancers - Oct 2023

The sobering facts about alcohol and cancer- MDEdge
According to IARC data,

• heavy drinking – defined as more than 60 g/day or about six daily drinks – accounts for 47% of the alcohol-attributable cancers.
• Risky drinking – between 20 and 60 g/day – 29%,
• moderate drinking – less than 20 g/day or about two daily drinks 14%.

Globally, alcohol intake accounted for 4% of all cancers diagnosed in 2020

Low Calcium associated with alcohol craving - Nov 2016 (note: low Ca may be due to low Vitamin D)

Association of plasma calcium concentrations with alcohol craving: New data on potential pathways
 Download the PDF from Vitamin D Life

Seems like there are 2 simple solutions: increase Calcium intake and increase Calcium absorption (vitamin D)
Wonder if they have been tried?

Adding Calcium reduced alcohol craving - RCT Feb 2021

850 mg of Caclium DOI: 10.1159/000512763

Pattern and cause of fractures in patients who abuse alcohol: what should we do about it?- 2013

Postgrad Med J. 2013 Jul 26. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2013-131990.
Kelly KN, Kelly C., Liverpool Medical School, Liverpool, UK.

Alcohol abuse is increasing in the UK and contributes significantly to the rising number of acute hospital admissions.
The effects are increasingly seen among younger people who binge drink.
The effects of excess alcohol on the skeleton have attracted far less attention than those on other organs, but the risk of fractures at important sites, such as the hips and vertebrae, is greatly increased in alcoholics.
This is partly owing to reductions in bone mineral density, but other factors such as an increased rate of falls play an important part.
The contribution of excess alcohol consumption to the risk of fractures is recognised in the widely available fracture assessment tool (FRAX). The mechanisms of fracture in alcohol abusers are complex and involve direct effects on bone cells, and indirect effects, mediated by alcohol, on the endocrine system, pancreas and cytokine system. Poor nutrition, with a reduction in body mass index and vitamin D levels, often contributes significantly. Prevention and treatment of fractures in alcohol abusers has received limited attention, and there are surprisingly few therapeutic trials to guide clinical intervention. Abstinence has been shown to improve markers of bone turnover within 2 months. However, compliance with oral therapeutic agents is often poor, and bisphosphonates may be contraindicated in patients with alcoholic liver disease and varices. The emergence of newer therapeutic options may facilitate controlled prospective studies of the role of parenteral agents in providing protection against both primary and secondary osteoporotic fractures among patients with alcohol abuse.

Putative role of vitamin D in the mechanism of alcoholism and other addictions - a hypothesis Nov 2020

Acta Neuropsychiatrica, 12 Nov 2020, :1-27, DOI: 10.1017/neu.2020.41
Galyuk TM1, Loonen AJM2

OBJECTIVE:Vitamin D deficiency may be a clinical problem in patients with addictions. The authors systematically searched for studies addressing vitamin D and addiction and develop a hypothesis which can direct future research of the possible mechanistic role of vitamin D in the process of addiction.

METHODS:Systematic review of the literature found in PubMed and EMBASE followed by narrative review combined with clinical experiences leading to hypotheses for future research.

RESULTS:Only five articles were identified about a role of vitamin D in the pathophysiology of addiction. Their results are in line with a possible influence of vitamin D in dopaminergic transmission. The cerebral vitamin D status depends upon the functionality of genetic variants of Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) and other involved genes. Routine serum calcidiol levels may not adequately reflect cerebral vitamin D status. Uncertainty exists regarding appropriate calcidiol blood levels and proper dosages for affecting the central nervous system (CNS).

CONCLUSIONS:The putative pathophysiological role of vitamin D in substance abuse has been insufficiently studied which calls to more studies how to measure cerebral vitamin D status in clinical practice. Research is indicated whether vitamin D supplementation should use higher dosages and aim to reach higher calcidiol serum levels. Measuring dopaminergic functioning within the prefrontal cortex as reflected by neuropsychological tests selected as suitable could be a suitable proxy for the cerebral vitamin D status when studying the pharmacogenomics of this functionality in patients.

Drinkers of alcohol 2X more likely to have pain if low vitamin D – Nov 2020

Association Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations and Chronic Pain: Effects of Drinking Habits
J Pain Res. 2020 Nov 19;13:2987-2996. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S277979. eCollection 2020.
Keita Suzuki 1, Hiromasa Tsujiguchi 1 2 3, Sakae Miyagi 3 4, Thao Thi Thu Nguyen 2, Akinori Hara 1 2 3, Haruki Nakamura 2, Yukari Shimizu 5, Koichiro Hayashi 1, Yohei Yamada 1, Phat Minh Nguyen 2, Yuichi Tao 2, Takayuki Kannon 3 6, Atsushi Tajima 3 6, Hiroyuki Nakamura 1 2 3
 Download the PDF from Vitamin D Life

Purpose: Although the explanation for inconsistencies in the reported association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)D levels and chronic pain (CP) has not yet been determined, understanding this discrepancy is necessary for the development of vitamin D supplementation as an effective treatment for CP. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between 25(OH)D concentrations and CP according to drinking habits in Japanese subjects.

Patients and methods: We distributed invitation letters to 2314 individuals older than 40 years in Shika town, a rural area in Japan, and 724 subjects (386 females; mean age: 63.9 ± 10.4 years) were recruited. CP was defined as persistent pain lasting at least 3 months in any part of the body. Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D, a biomarker of the vitamin D status, were measured using a radioimmunoassay. A serum 25(OH)D level <20 ng/mL was defined as serum 25(OH)D deficiency. Drinking habits were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. There were three choices, "rarely drink", "sometimes" and "everyday". Respondents who answered "rarely drink" were labelled as non-drinkers and the others as drinkers.

Results: The prevalence of CP was 40.6%. A significant interaction between CP and drinking habits on 25(OH)D concentrations was observed (p = 0.098). A one-way analysis of covariance was performed to compare 25(OH)D concentrations between the subjects with and without CP in each drinking group, and the serum 25(OH)D levels of subjects with CP were significantly lower than those without CP among drinkers (p = 0.007).
Alcohol A logistic regression analysis revealed a correlation between serum 25(OH)D deficiency and CP in drinkers after adjustments for several confounding factors (odds ratio: 0.499; 95% confidence interval: 0.268 - 0.927; p = 0.028).

Conclusion: The present results suggest that low serum 25(OH)D concentrations are associated with the development of CP in drinkers.

Google Scholar allintitle:(alcohol "vitamin d") -alcoholic 74 entries as of Dec 2023

Google Scholar

• Vitamin D and alcohol: A review of the current literature - 2017 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2016.10.051
  • Not a consistant association
• Association between Fok I vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) polymorphism and impulsivity in alcohol-dependent patients - 2014

New York Times Overview of Alcohol and Health - Dec 2015 (nothing about vitamin D)

Alcohol’s Effect on Health: What the Science Says

• Nice review of many studies over the past 25 years. including Randomized Controlled Trials
• "Moderate consumption of alcohol is generally safe, as long as it doesn't lead to abuse, and may even be healthful for some people"
• "Synthesizing all this, there seems to be a sizable amount of evidence that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with decreased rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and death. It also seems to be associated with increased rates, perhaps to a lesser extent, of some cancers, especially breast cancer, as well as some other diseases or conditions. The gains from improved cardiovascular disease deaths seem to outweigh all of the losses in other diseases combined. The most recent report of the U.S.D.A. Scientific Advisory Panel agrees with that assessment."

Huge variation in average daily alcohol consumption - Washington Post, Dec 2015 (nothing about Vitamin D)

Americans are drinking themselves to death at record rates

Nutrient deficiencies due to Alcoholism- 2005

Psychiatric Implications of Nutritional Deficiencies in Alcoholism

GrassrootsHealth Sept 2021

Alcohol Use Disorder massively upsets the gut microbiome - Feb 2024

New York Times - free link

• Preliminary research suggests that an unhealthy gut might even contribute to alcohol cravings, said Dr. Jasmohan Bajaj, a hepatologist at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Richmond V.A. Medical Center.
• "But we do know that alcohol can cause acid reflux, stomach lining inflammation and gastrointestinal bleeding, he added, and can increase your risk of several types cancer, including those of the esophagus, colon and rectum."
•  NYT PDF

Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders in 11% of infants in South Africa’s Western Cape - March 2024

• "Symptoms range from learning and behavioural problems, including low intelligence, lack of impulse control, and poor reasoning skills, to a more severe condition known as foetal alcohol syndrome, which leads to facial deformities, vision and hearing impairments, and severe organ damage. "
• "Those with the worst forms of FASD have a considerably shorter lifespan than the rest of the population, rarely living beyond their mid-30s."

Web

• Alcohol and Native Americans Wikipedia
  • 4X higher death rate for directly related alcohol problems: traffic collisions,liver disease. homicide, suicide, and falls
  • also hearing and vision problems, kidney and bladder problems, pneumonia, tuberculosis, dental problems, and pancreatitis
  • among American Indians and Alaska Natives, the rate of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is 5.6 per 1,000 live births.
    • ~25X higher than typical

Asked AI : How might Alcoholics Anonymous be helped by Vitamin D

Perplexity Feb 2024

• Correction of Nutritional Deficiencies
• Mood Regulation
• Cognitive Function and Brain Health:
• Reduction in Drug Use and Addiction Severity

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