The purpose of this study is to evaluate the nutritional status of vitamin and minerals in the patients with alcoholic liver disease and to obtain the materials for nutritional education for alcoholics. The subjects consist of 80 patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis(ALC) and 12 patients with alcoholic fatty liver(AFL). The control group included 57 alcoholics without liver disease(A), 32 patients with viral liver cirrhosis(VLC) and 194 normal men(NL). Biochemical evaluation of nutritional status was investigated by the analysis of blood samples. The frequency of vitamin B1 deficiency in the ALC, AFL and A groups as indicated by the erythrocyte transketolase activity coefficient were 46.0%, 66.7% and 57.9% respectively. The frequency of vitamin B2 deficiency in the ALC, AFL and A groups as indicated by the erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient were 9.8%, 8.3% and 38.6% respectively. Vitamin A deficiency was not detected in the alcoholic subjects. The frequency of vi tamin E deficiency in ALC, AFL and A were 96.3%, 66.7% and 86.0% respectively. The levels of plasma lipid peroxidation products were significantly higher in the alcoholic subjects than in the normal subjects. The frequency of subjects below normal range of hemoglobin were 85.0% in ALC, 50.0% in AFL and 31.6% in A. The frequency of copper deficiency in the ALC, AFL and A groups were 48.4%, 16.7% and 17.5% respectively. The frequency of zinc deficiency in the ALC, AFL and A groups were 83.8%, 41.7% and 66.7% respectively. Overall, the vitamin and minerals status of the alcoholic subjects in this study was evaluated to be very poor on the basis of biochemical assessments. The results suggest that alcohol abuse and poor dietary intake could cause malnutrition and may be important risk factors in causing alcoholic liver disease in alcoholics. In addition, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, Cu, Fe and antioxidant supplementation may be effective in nutritional therapy for chronic alcoholics.