ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION AND DIETARY PRACTICES IN THE US POPULATION - 1987AND 1992

Research indicates that the link between alcohol and poor nutrition is highly complex, Alcohol consumption is known to disrupt nutritional s tatus via several mechanisms, One mechanism by which alcohol may affec t nutrition is by inducing changes in dietary practices. Findings are presented based oil 2 years of data from a national survey of health-r elated activities, The relationship between alcohol consumption and di etary practices-such as types of food consumed whether vitamins were t aken, belief that diet influences health, and frequency of eating out- is examined. The results show that associations exist between alcohol and diet after controlling for demographic and health variables, These findings have important implications for understanding the interactio n between alcohol intake and nutritional status and the effect of this interaction on overall health.