Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Nationwide Observational Cohort Study PMC

how does alcohol affect the kidneys

In the kidneys, ROS is generated via both enzymatic and non-enzymatic processes [22,23,27,32,36,37]. In addition, Das et al. reported that alcohol consumption impairs the ability of CAT to catalyze the decomposition of H2O2 in the kidneys [41]. This subsequently promotes the conversion of H2O2 to the more reactive hydroxyl radicals, which cause damage in antioxidant capacities and mitochondria in renal cells [34,42,43]. Samadi et al. also suggested that ethanol induces depression of nephrin and podocin in podocytes, which contributes to renal injury and proteinuria and is mediated by oxidative stress [44].

  • Alcohol is a toxic substance that can damage the body’s organs and tissues.
  • However, more research is needed into the link between alcohol use and kidney injury.
  • In addition, alcohol can disrupt the hormonal control mechanisms that govern kidney function.
  • So, alcohol consumption can be a double-edged sword for patients with CKD, and any policy regarding alcohol consumption for them must be very cautious.

Treatments for acute kidney injury

The association of baseline alcohol consumption and decline in kidney function over 12 years among 5729 participants. Points and bars represent beta coefficients and 95% confidence intervals, respectively. Having more than three drinks in a day (or more than seven per week) for women, and more than four drinks in a day (or more than 14 per week) for men, is considered “heavy” drinking. Heavy drinking on a regular basis has been found to double the risk for kidney disease.

  • Follow a low-fat, healthy diet that has plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • These are signs that the kidneys are not working as they should, and they can be symptoms of acute kidney injury due to a high alcohol consumption.
  • Furthermore, we adjusted for nearly all potential confounding variables, including age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic status, vegetables, fruit, smoking, and exercise habits, and comorbidities.
  • Drinking alcohol heavily can have several long-term health consequences including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
  • Their analysis included 20 studies representing a total of 292,431 patients.
  • When it comes to knowing how much alcohol is dangerous for kidney health you first need to know how much is a drink.

Indirect Effects

  • Similar alterations have been found in body fluid volumes among chronic alcoholic patients.
  • NO is a free gaseous signal molecule produced by the NOS family, including neuronal NO synthase (nNOS), inducible NO synthase (iNOS), and endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), and it plays an important role in hemodynamics regulation.
  • Furthermore, moderate alcohol consumption appears to be harmful in patients with CKD because it increases the incidence of cerebral hemorrhages [14,89].

Alcohol can either increase or reduce how much potassium is excreted by the kidneys. However, the increase in blood alcohol level stops this from happening. Alcohol affects this function of the kidneys within 20 minutes of consumption. This has both short and long-term effects on the health of the kidneys. Whether a kidney patient is on a fluid restriction or needs to drink more fluids, alcohol must be considered. One of the concerns about alcohol for kidney patients on a renal diet has been phosphorus.

how does alcohol affect the kidneys

Association between total alcohol intake and rapid decline in kidney function

If you’re currently taking medications for kidney cancer or are having surgery to remove a kidney (nephrectomy), talk with your doctor about how much alcohol is safe to have during treatment. The kidneys are the body’s primary tool for filtering out dangerous https://ecosoberhouse.com/ substances, so issues affecting the kidneys can quickly affect the rest of the body, potentially causing problems in multiple organs. Sustaining a physical injury to the kidneys, such as by falling from a height, may also cause kidney pain.

While acute kidney failure typically subsides over time, it can occasionally lead to lasting kidney damage. Binge drinking (usually more than four to five drinks within two hours) can raise a person’s blood alcohol to dangerous levels. This can cause a sudden drop in kidney function known as “acute kidney injury.” When this happens, dialysis is needed until a person’s kidney function returns to normal. Acute kidney injury usually goes away in time, but in some cases, it can lead to lasting kidney damage.

how does alcohol affect the kidneys

The current study enrolled 45,200 subjects, which was a representative cohort for the Taiwan population. The follow-up period was 13 years, which was long enough to observe the development of CKD; thus, the research had appropriate power. Furthermore, we adjusted for nearly all potential confounding variables, including age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic status, vegetables, fruit, smoking, and exercise habits, and comorbidities.

how does alcohol affect the kidneys

Moreover, alcohol-induced renal tubular dysfunction is also reflected in vitamin reabsorption disorders. Subramanian et al. proved that chronic alcohol consumption can significantly inhibit carrier-mediated thiamin and biotin transport across the renal brush border membrane and basolateral membrane [54,55]. Therefore, the effect of ethanol on renal antioxidant capacity varies with the concentration of ethanol and the duration of stimulation. In general, ethanol causes oxidative stress-related damage in the kidneys, but sometimes, in some conditions, it also improves the antioxidant capacity of the renal cells. Unfortunately, we only know that low-concentration ethanol can improve renal antioxidant capacity, but the exact dose and period are still unclear.

  • The traditional hypothesis holds that the kidneys of cirrhotic patients retain sodium in response to ascites that develops when liver dysfunction causes blood vessels to expand beyond available plasma volume (i.e., the “underfill” theory).
  • Therefore, we need more evidence to determine whether abstinence can relieve and heal the kidney damage caused by long-term alcohol consumption and the effects of alcohol abstinence on the prognosis of patients with CKD.
  • Overall and subgroup analyses of the association between baseline alcohol consumption and decline in kidney function over 12 years in fully adjusted linear regression model.

how does alcohol affect the kidneys

Another noteworthy problem is alcohol consumption in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In recent years, CKD has become one of the most serious global public health problems. Recent studies estimated that CKD affects about 119.5 million people worldwide [10,11]. Chronic alcohol use also interferes alcohol and kidneys with the kidney’s ability to maintain blood pressure (14). High blood pressure damages the blood vessels in the kidneys, reducing their efficiency in filtering blood (15). As a result, kidney function deteriorates over time, increasing the risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD).