The consequences of imbibing alcohol in the absence of adequate nutrition: The salt and water hypothesis

Alcohol can have an effect on almost every cell in the human body and it is becoming increasingly clear that when alcohol is consumed the prior nutritional status of the individual may be an important factor for long-term health. The salt and water hypothesis integrates the biochemical findings from the current alcohol literature and proposes a mechanism by which alcohol consumption prior to food intake may cause a transient alteration in the functioning of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis due to an alcohol-induced impairment in electrolyte regulation.