ALCOHOL ISSUES

VITAMIN B1/THIAMINE

1. Injections of thiamine (300 mg) 3 times daily for 4 days, increased erythrocyte transketolase activity in patients with severe alcohol withdrawal.

Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1993 Aug;88(2):80-4. 
Thiamine pyrophosphate effect and erythrocyte transketolase activity during severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
Nordentoft M, Timm S, Hasselbalch E, Roesen A, Gammeltoft S, Hemmingsen R.
PMID: 8213210

VITAMIN E/TOCOTRIENOL
Animal Study

2. Doses of vitamin E fed to animals (mice – 5 IU and guinea pigs 50 IU for 3 days) with induced chronic alcohol intoxication, restored their immunity status. Furthermore, mice voluntarily decreased ethanol consumption (when given a choice of water or ethanol) after vitamin E.

Vopr Med Khim.  1994 May-Jun;40(3):51-3. 
[The immunocorrecting effect of vitamin E during ethanol intoxication]
Pletsityi KD, Davydova TV, Fomina VG.
PMID: 8079442

3. Doses of vitamin E (50 IU for 3 days) completely normalized depressed T-system immunity in guinea pigs with induced chronic alcohol poisoning. Vitamin E treatment was more effective than vitamin A (30,000 IU).

Vopr Pitan.  1988 May-Jun;(3):45-8. 
[Further study of immuno-correcting properties of vitamins A and E in experimental chronic alcoholic intoxication]
Davydova TV, Pletsityi KD, Fomina VG.
PMID: 3206856

4. Treatment with vitamin E (1800 IU) may decrease the extent of platelet thromboxane development (causing clotting) following ethanol intoxication.

Eur J Clin Invest.  1987 Feb;17(1):68-74. 
Effects of vitamin E therapy on ethanol-induced changes in platelet aggregation, thromboxane formation, factor VIII levels and serum lipids.
Hillbom M, Muuronen A, Neiman J, Bjork G, Egberg N, Kangasaho M.
PMID: 3106052

ZINC
(1 gram = 1000 milligrams)

Animal Study

5. Doses of zinc (10 or 30 mg per kilogram body weight) prevented ethanol-induced damage to the gastric membrane in rats.

Dig Dis Sci. 1990 May;35(5):559-66. 
Effects of zinc L-carnosine on gastric mucosal and cell damage caused by ethanol in rats. Correlation with endogenous prostaglandin E2.
Arakawa T, Satoh H, Nakamura A, Nebiki H, Fukuda T, Sakuma H, Nakamura H, Ishikawa M, Seiki M, Kobayashi K.
PMID: 2331952

6. A dose of zinc sulfate (15 mg per kilogram body weight) diminished the toxic and anesthetic effects of ethanol.

Biull Eksp Biol Med. 1989 Mar;107(3):317-8. 
[A decrease in the acute toxicity of ethanol produced by zinc sulfate]
[Article in Russian]
Kampov-Polevoi AB, Skal'nyi AV.
PMID: 2713471

7. Daily doses of zinc (200 mg/day) for 2 months improved responsiveness to hypersensitivity skin tests in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and improved depressed cellular immunity compared to those without zinc treatment.

Gastroenterol Clin Biol. 1986 Dec;10(12):799-803. 
[Does oral zinc improve the cellular immunity of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis ?]
[Article in French]
Labadie H, Verneau A, Trinchet JC, Beaugrand M.
PMID: 3803821

Animal Study

8. Pregnant rats were fed either ethanol and water or ethanol with 0.01% zinc in water. The offspring of the ethanol/zinc group had higher cerebral weight and RNA content. Thus, zinc may help protect against fetal brain damage from ethanol ingestion.

Brain Dev. 1983;5(6):549-54. 
Zinc supplementation in ethanol-treated pregnant rats increases the metabolic
activity in the fetal hippocampus.
Tanaka H, Inomata K, Arima M.
PMID: 6199999

9. Daily doses of zinc sulfate (0.2 grams/3 times/day for 6 weeks) improved some liver irregularities as well as vitamin metabolism and taste acuity in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.

Acta Med Scand. 1979;205(5):361-6. 
Zinc supplementation in alcoholic cirrhosis . A double-blind clinical trial.
Weismann K, Christensen E, Dreyer V.
PMID: 375690