You Are What You Eat: The Impact of Nutrition on Alcohol and Drug Use

Background: Experimental research has shown that nutrition influences behavioral deviance. Objectives: The current project addresses the impact of nutrition on problem alcohol and drug use in a nationally representative sample of US adults. Methods: The study relies on the daily dietary nutrition data and the substance use measures in the 2007–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Results: The findings generally show that macronutrients increase the odds of substance use and micronutrients decrease the odds of substance use, especially among females. In addition, nutrient imbalance is a particularly strong predictor of substance use for both males and females. Depression partially accounts for the relationship between dietary nutrition consumption and substance use. Conclusions: Nutrition represents a promising extension of the biosocial perspective in substance use disorders.