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Essential Fatty Acid Supplementation during Early Alcohol Abstinence
Author(s) -
Wolkin Adam,
Segarnick David,
Sierkierski Joanna,
Manku Mehar,
Horrobin David,
Rotrosen John
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1987.tb01268.x
Subject(s) - craving , placebo , alcohol , ethanol , medicine , abstinence , endocrinology , prostaglandin , essential fatty acid , fatty acid , psychiatry , addiction , biochemistry , chemistry , polyunsaturated fatty acid , pathology , alternative medicine
Interactions between ethanol, prostaglandins, and essential fatty acids (EFA) have led to the hypothesis that acute alcohol withdrawal and the sequelae of chronic alcoholism may be related to an EFA/prostaglandin deficiency. To test this hypothesis, EFA profiles in blood‐lipid fractions, serum liver enzymes, cognitive function, and alcohol craving were measured in 27 acutely abstinent alcoholics before and after a 3‐week double‐blind trial of EFA supplementation. Upon entry into the study, alcoholics had significant differences in EFA levels as compared to normal controls, and serum levels of liver enzymes tended to correlate with these EFA levels. After 21 days, cognitive function, alcohol craving, and liver enzymes all improved in both the EFA and placebo groups; most EFA levels also approached normal values. There were no treatment effects of EFA supplementation at the dose used.