Oh wait- this might not be a new discovery. ;)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=glucose+and+alcoholism&btnG=Google+Search



http://www.paradiserecovery.com/blog/2008/04/alcoholism-and-brain-function-or-lack.html

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Alcoholism and Brain Function... or lack thereof!

(This
is a continuation of the blogs on the relationship between alcoholism
and nutritional deficiencies) Our body is a complex system with many
interacting parts. One example is how alcoholism
affects the pancreas, which then affects the brain. Let me explain.
Chronic alcohol use can cause impaired insulin secretion from the
pancreas. Insulin is a hormone that controls our blood sugar, also
known as blood glucose. Alcoholism can result in both overly elevated
blood sugar (making you look like you might be diabetic) as well as low
blood sugar if too much insulin is secreted.

Guess what the
"food" is for the brain? Glucose. Remember alcoholism can produce a
state of low glucose in the body. The brain uses glucose in order to
work properly. It is the fuel of the brain. Let's make this simple: low
blood sugar = starving brain = brain does not work well = you don't
think straight, you make poor decisions, you don't function like you
used to.

Got that? But wait, there is yet another way alcoholism
affects the brain. Remember how we talked previously about impaired
B-Vitamin and other vitamin absorption as well as poor nutrition with
alcoholism? Chronic alcohol use results in a thiamine deficiency.
Thiamin is one of those B-Vitamins. Guess what thiamine does? If you
guessed that it is involved in glucose metabolism, you guessed
correctly!

No big deal, right? A little vitamin deficiency
shouldn't be that bad. Well, chronic thiamin deficiency, which is seen
time and time again in alcoholics, causes certain areas of the brain to
shrink, also called atrophy. These areas of the brain are involved with
different things, some of which are memory. The alcoholic begins to
develop a condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff's syndrome. Wernicke's
encephalopathy, as it is called, rears it's ugly head most commonly
with ataxia (trouble walking straight), an eye condition called
nystagmus, and confusion. It can lead to coma or death on occassion.
Next comes Korsakoff's psychosis. It is a combination of psychosis,
amnesia for recent and past events, and confabulation. In other words,
you become psychotic, can't remember what you the hell you did today or
yesterday (although memories from a long time ago might still be
there), and you make up stories when people ask you a question to try
to hide the fact that you can't remember (confabulation).

These
conditions can all be treated to varying degrees, depending on how
progressed the condition is. Success depends on the competent staff at
a "best" alcohol rehab. By that I mean an alcohol rehab that takes a holistic approach to you as an individual, looking at your physical needs as well as emotional, psychological and spiritual needs.


http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/37/6/586

LONG-TERM ABSTINENT ALCOHOLICS HAVE A BLUNTED BLOOD GLUCOSE RESPONSE TO 2-DEOXY-D-GLUCOSE

John C. Umhau^*,
Sarah G. Petrulis,
Rosalyn Diaz,
Patti A. Riggs,
James R. Biddisonand
David T. George

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Received 30 October 2001;
in revised form 26 March 2002;
accepted 5 May 2002

Aims: In this study we explored the relationship betweenalcohol and carbohydrate consumption in long-term abstinentalcoholics. Methods: We employed an established laboratory paradigmwhich allowed us to stimulate and measure dietary intake. 2-Deoxy-d-glucose(2-DG) is a glucose analogue that causes an intracellular energydeprivation resulting in exaggerated food consumption and acompensatory metabolic response to raise blood glucose. Usinga double-blind design, we gave an infusion of 25 mg/kg 2-DGor placebo to 20 long-term abstinent alcoholics and 19 healthyvolunteers. Results: There were no baseline differences in anydietary, behavioural or biochemical variables. As expected,2-DG increased caloric consumption and blood glucose levelsin a time-dependent fashion. There were no differences in foodconsumption between the alcoholics and the healthy volunteersfollowing the 2-DG stimulus. However, the alcoholic group hada significantly blunted response in blood glucose. Conclusions:The origin of this atypical blood glucose response may antedatethe onset of alcoholism, or it may be secondary to alcohol-relateddamage that persists beyond 6 months. Previous accounts of increasedsweet consumption in alcoholics were not substantiated, althoughthey may be present in the peri-withdrawal period.

chocolate? ill eat/drink chocolate in form of powered pure chocolate and mix in milk or maybe honey and turbino sugar -a little

but ill not waste money on these high priced candy bars anymore