Alcohol and Kidneys: A Registered Dietitian Perspective Renal Diet For Kidney Patients

Posted by MTC April 23, 2020

You may experience flank pain and pain or difficulty during urination. Drinking alcohol if you already have kidney stones may does drinking alcohol affect your kidneys cause them to move quickly. Indeed, liver transplantation is one of two options available today for treating hepatorenal syndrome.

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The Recovery Village Columbus offers comprehensive addiction treatment for drug and alcohol addictions and co-occurring mental health conditions. The risk and extent of kidney damage will only increase as alcohol use continues. If you or a loved one are experiencing kidney problems related to alcohol use, quitting alcohol is essential.

What Happens After a Few Drinks

The kidneys, two bean-shaped organs, perform the essential tasks of filtering waste, regulating blood pressure, and maintaining the body’s balance of water, salts, and minerals. While occasional, moderate alcohol consumption typically does not cause direct harm to these organs, chronic and excessive drinking can lead to significant and progressive kidney damage over time. This sustained exposure can contribute to conditions that may lead to kidney failure. A persuasive argument against alcohol consumption in kidney disease lies in its long-term consequences. Research indicates that heavy drinking (defined as more than 14 drinks per week for men and 7 for women) doubles the risk of developing end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a condition requiring dialysis or transplantation. Even moderate drinking (up to 7 drinks per week for women and 14 for men) can contribute to proteinuria—excess protein in urine—a key marker of kidney damage.

Alcohol Consumption and Kidney Disease: What the Evidence Shows (And How to Protect Yourself)

• Limiting intake to recommended thresholds—no more than 7 drinks per week for women and 14 for men—reduces cumulative kidney burden.
• They fail to account for the numerous other factors impacting a person’s health, such as diet and exercise.
• However, excessive alcohol intake can lead to significant health problems, including damaging alcohol’s impact on kidney health and other vital organs.

Excess blood sugar can damage the delicate filtering system in the kidneys. People with diabetes are already more susceptible to kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy). Drinking alcohol can interfere with blood sugar control, making it harder to manage diabetes and further straining your kidneys.

Alcohol Can Affect the Kidneys Through Diabetes

The diuretic effect can be observed within 20 minutes of alcohol consumption. Recognizing the early signs of kidney damage and taking steps to reduce alcohol use can help protect your kidneys for years to come. If caught early enough, kidney damage from alcohol may be reversible. Research shows that mild kidney issues can improve within just 4 weeks of alcohol abstinence. The NKF adds that most people in the United States who have both liver disease and kidney dysfunction are alcohol dependent. According to the American Kidney Fund https://www.chaquanzi.com/1895.html (AKF), there are five stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD), with stage 1 representing the earliest and mildest stage and stage 5 representing the most advanced and severe.

Kidney Problems and Alcohol: Understanding the Risks and Potential Consequences

• The more alcohol consumed the higher the risk of elevated blood pressure.
• When fluids and sodium levels get low, ADH will tell the body to increase blood flow.
• Established liver disease impairs this important balancing act, however, by either greatly augmenting or reducing the rates of plasma flow and filtration through the glomerulus.
• While moderate drinking may be manageable for some, the potential for dehydration, medication interference, and direct kidney damage makes it a hazardous choice for kidney disease patients.
• Alcohol can cause changes in the function of the kidneys and make them less able to filter your blood.

To protect kidney health, it is important to understand the levels of alcohol consumption that pose the greatest risk. Health authorities define a standard drink as containing about 14 grams of pure alcohol. Heavy drinking is defined as consuming eight or more drinks per week for women and 15 or more drinks per week for men. Hypertension scars the nephrons, impairing their ability to efficiently filter waste Alcoholics Anonymous products from the blood. Regular heavy drinking doubles an individual’s risk for developing CKD.

Binge drinking can lead to acute kidney injury (AKI), a sudden drop in kidney function that can sometimes lead to lasting damage. Water is the cornerstone of kidney health, aiding in toxin filtration and maintaining fluid balance. Infused water with cucumber, lemon, or mint offers flavor without additives.

Does drinking alcohol affect the kidneys?

Alcohol consumption is a concern for individuals with kidney disease, as it can exacerbate existing kidney damage and interfere with medications. For those looking to protect their kidney health, exploring alternatives to alcohol is essential. Here’s a focused guide on how to replace alcoholic beverages with kidney-friendly options. Alcohol acts as a diuretic, increasing urine output and leading to dehydration. When dehydrated, the kidneys struggle to regulate fluids, electrolytes, and acidity. Repeated drinking worsens this effect, putting extra stress on the organs and increasing the risk of long-term malfunction.

Chronic and heavy alcohol consumption can potentially lead to kidney failure. This occurs as a result of long-term damage to the kidneys from dehydration, high blood pressure, and the toxic effects of alcohol on kidney tissues. Aside from maybe relaxation and reduced inhibitions resulting from the effects of alcohol on the central nervous system (CNS), there are very few upsides to drinking alcohol in excess. Multiple studies show that binge drinking makes people more likely to engage in unsafe sexual behavior, which can increase the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The impairment brought on by binge drinking also increases the risk of falls, burns, drownings, car accidents, and more. Because it is readily available in supermarkets, convenience and liquor stores, and restaurants, many people falsely assume that alcohol is harmless and nowhere near as addictive as harder street-level drugs.

Here, we’ll share insights into some of the ways alcohol impacts the kidneys and how much alcohol is safe to drink. Furthermore, if you have been advised by your healthcare team to follow a low potassium and/or low phosphate diet, then choosing drinks with a lower potassium or lower phosphate content is advisable. However, although the general guidelines are to have no more than 14 units a week in the general population, we believe the less alcohol you drink weekly, the better. Your kidneys may not get as much attention as your heart or liver, but they’re just as essential. If you drink regularly, especially heavily, your kidneys could be working overtime without your knowledge.