Explain why thiamin and folate deficiencies are an inevitable consequence of alcohol abuse and how they occur

Answer 1

Nutrient deficiencies are an inevitable consequence of alcohol abuse not only because alcohol displaces food but also because alcohol interferes directly with the body's use of nutrients. The more alcohol a person drinks, the less likely it is that he or she will eat enough food to obtain the needed nutrients. Alcohol abuse also disrupts every tissue's metabolism of nutrients.
The inadequate food intake and impaired nutrient absorption of alcohol abuse frequently lead to a deficiency of the B vitamin thiamin. In fact, the cluster of thiamin-deficiency symptoms commonly seen in alcoholism has a name: Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by paralysis of the eye muscles, poor muscle coordination, impaired memory, and damaged nerves. Thiamin supplements may help to repair some of the damage, especially if the person stops drinking.
Most dramatic is alcohol's effect on folate. When an excess of alcohol is present, the body actively expels folate from its sites of action and storage. The liver, which normally contains enough folate to meet all needs, leaks its folate into the blood. As blood folate rises, the kidneys excrete it, as if it were in excess. The intestine normally releases and retrieves folate continuously, but it becomes so damaged by folate deficiency and alcohol toxicity that it fails to absorb folate. Alcohol also interferes with the action of what little folate is left.