Decreased appetite for food in alcoholism

[Extract] Alcohol consumption can induce the development of nutritional disorders as alcohol ingestion often replaces food intake (Orozco and De Castro 1991). While alcohol contains a large number of calories, these calories are classed as 'empty' calories because alcohol contains little nutritional value (Pirola and Lieber 1972). Alcoholic beverages may account for up to 50% of the total calorie intake in chronic alcoholics, which over time can lead to the development of a severely malnourished state (Lieber 1991)