ABSTRACT
Chronic alcoholism has been considered as one of the main causes of malnutrition in Western countries (Darnton-Hill, 1989; Iber, 1990). For most people, the stereotype image of chronic alcoholics is that of a shabby malnourished individual who has not eaten for days, but who has had plenty of alcohol. Furthermore, some previous studies on the nutritional status of alcohol misusers included indigents who consumed large amounts of ethanol and ate little. Other studies have shown biased results due to the inclusion of
subjects with advanced clinical consequences of alcoholism such as cirrhosis (Neville et al., 1968); hence, the belief that alcoholics generally suffer from advanced malnutrition.
