Since 2015, he has served as Board Member and Treasurer of Bridge of Life, an international non-profit focused on chronic disease healthcare programs and training. The prevalence of kidney disease is increasing at a significant rate, with more than 1 in 7 American adults being diagnosed with kidney disease. Kidney disease is not reversible and often only presents with symptoms until the later stages. Third, in most studies, patients’ alcohol consumption data were obtained by a fixed self-administered questionnaire, and this method lacks quantitative measurement. This self-report is susceptible to under-reporting and underestimates the patients’ alcohol consumption 12,13,117.
- One of the many roles the kidneys have in the body is maintaining fluid balance.
- In addition to the severity of the damage, the kidney’s ability to recover depends on the duration and intensity of alcohol consumption and the individual’s overall health.
- For men, heavy alcohol use is defined as more than four drinks in a single sitting or more than 14 drinks in a week.
- We used data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in 2001, 2005, and 2009; the National Health Insurance research database; and, the National Deaths Dataset.
- Besides that, adopting a healthy lifestyle like staying hydrated, eating a balanced diet, and exercising regularly can help support overall kidney function.
- The characteristics of the study design and other details of these studies are presented in Table 1.
Myth: Normal alcohol consumption directly damages kidneys
Alcohol is a toxic substance that can cause dependence and other negative health effects. Scientists are not sure whether an association exists, and they are unsure as to the underlying mechanisms. Alcohol is a toxic substance that can cause dependence alongside a range of other negative health effects. Your donations allow us to help more people than any other kidney organization.
What are the first signs of kidney damage from alcohol?
These include anthocyanins, which are the main polyphenols in red grapes, and resveratrol, which is the most famous polyphenolic compound found in red wine 104. They have been demonstrated to have ROS scavenging, antiplatelet, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiaging, and cardiovascular and renal-protective effects 105–112. Moreover, other bioactivators in red wine, excluding resveratrol, and those in white wine, also have the function of ROS scavenging and renal protection 7,84,113. Due to the metabolism of ethanol, significant amounts of acetate are produced and subsequently incorporated into acetyl-coenzyme-A, a molecule that participates in metabolism of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. Protein acetylation—adding an acetyl group to a protein—is integral to regulating processes controlled by mitochondria, including fatty acid metabolism and antioxidant defense (Choudhary et al. 2014). This could also be a significant factor contributing to ethanol-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in the kidneys (Harris et al. 2015).
Association of monthly frequency of alcohol consumption and binge drinking with change in the eGFR over 12 years
Kidneys are responsible for helping your body maintain a healthy balance of water and electrolytes. Your kidneys also control the production of red blood cells, produce vitamin D, release hormones to regulate blood pressure, and remove drugs from your body. If liver disease is found, the best immediate “treatments” are to permanently stop drinking alcohol and take steps to improve nutrition.
How Drinking Alcohol Affects Your Kidneys
By promoting liver disease, chronic drinking has further detrimental effects on the kidneys, including impaired sodium and fluid handling and even acute kidney failure. In fact, IgA glomerulonephritis—acute inflammation of the kidney caused by an IgA immune response—is one of the most common types how does alcohol affect kidneys of primary glomerulonephritis worldwide (D’Amico 1987). This IgA-related kidney disease leads to clinical symptoms of renal injury and eventually progresses into renal failure (Amore et al. 1994; Bene et al. 1988; Pouria and Feehally 1999). Experimental studies suggest that heavy alcohol consumption induces IgA kidney disease (Smith et al. 1990). In addition, rats given intragastric infusions of a commercial whiskey (1.5 ml/100 gm body weight) 3 times a week along with a nutrient-deficient diet develop a more severe form of IgA nephropathy (Amore et al. 1994).
Health Categories to Explore
NO is a free gaseous signal molecule produced by the NOS family, including neuronal NO synthase (nNOS), inducible NO synthase alcoholism (iNOS), and endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), and it plays an important role in hemodynamics regulation. In general, NO is generated by mesangial cells and renal tubular epithelial cells, and it plays an important role in the regulation of glomerular and medullar hemodynamics and renin release. Although different studies have shown opposite results for the effects of NO and NOS activity with alcohol consumption 19,39,46,47, they came to a similar conclusion that NO and NOS play important roles in glomerular endothelial cell injury.
