Alcohol and Your Kidneys National Kidney Foundation
Following moderate alcohol consumption—about 24 oz—of nonalcoholic beer with 1 milliliter of alcohol per kilogram of body weight added, the investigators noted several effects. Alcohol-induced urination reduced the subjects’ plasma volume, resulting in an increased concentration of plasma sodium. In addition, the subjects’ blood pressure and plasma potassium concentration decreased. These changes in fluid volume, electrolyte balance, and blood pressure may have stimulated the activity of hormones to return body fluid volume and composition back to normal, which occurred soon after consumption. Even without binge drinking, regularly drinking too much too often can also damage the kidneys. Regular heavy drinking has been found to double the risk chronic kidney disease, which does not go away over time.
Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)
Alcohol can worsen the side effects of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments, such as nausea, dehydration, diarrhea, and mouth sores. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), there is a widesperad agreement among scientists that alcohol can cause several types of cancer, like head and neck cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer. Severe or recurring kidney infections may require hospitalization or surgery.
Short-Term Effects of Alcohol on Kidneys
As the plasma filtrate passes along this channel, the substances the body needs to conserve are reabsorbed into an extensive network of capillaries that wrap the nephron tubule. Small amounts of unwanted substances also are secreted directly into the nephron tubules. Together, the filtered and secreted substances form urine (see figure) and eventually trickle into a series of progressively larger collecting ducts. Each 4.5-inch-long kidney contains about 250 of the largest collecting ducts, each duct transmitting urine from approximately 4,000 nephrons. Based on the most recent scientific evidence, if you stick to one standard alcohol drink each day (one 1.5-oz shot, one 12-oz. glass of beer or one 5-oz. glass of wine), you do not increase your risk of developing kidney disease. Also, alcohol does not appear to make kidney disease worse or make it more likely that someone with kidney disease will need dialysis.
Risks of Alcohol Abuse with Kidney Disease
On the other hand, there is evidence showing alcohol may lower the risk of CKD. Respiratory acidosis is when the lungs fill up with carbon dioxide. Alcoholic ketoacidosis is when there is a high amount of ketones in the blood. Low calcium may be due to muscle depletion or magnesium losses. Hyperphosphatemia or high levels of phosphorus usually occurs before phosphorus becomes depleted and hypophosphatemia sets in.
Why do my kidneys hurt when I drink alcohol?
Alcohol, especially when consumed in excess, negatively affects many of the systems of the body. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it’s recommended that men have no more than two drinks per day, and that women have no more than one drink per day. Of course, if you have any questions about your personal relationship with alcohol, it’s best to consult a healthcare professional.
- Further changes included enlarged and altered cells in the kidney tubules.
- This leaves alcohols vulnerable to many kidney-related health problems.
- Heavy drinking had a 91% increased risk of elevated blood pressure.
- As pressure rises, the kidneys can reduce blood pressure by removing some of the blood’s volume.
- One of the concerns about alcohol for kidney patients is the calories that come from drinks.
- A recent meta-analysis (Cheungpasitporn et al. 2015) found little support for such a relationship.
- Having an occasional glass of alcohol may not cause any harmful effects if your kidney functions regularly.
- Another potential cause of hypophosphatemia in alcoholic patients is hyperventilation, which can occur during alcohol withdrawal.
- Alcohol-induced urination reduced the subjects’ plasma volume, resulting in an increased concentration of plasma sodium.
- In contrast, the “overflow” theory postulates that ascites follows when the kidneys retain sodium in response to signals sent by a dysfunctional liver to expand plasma volume.
There is a direct relationship between blood pressure and kidneys’ function. Acute pancreatitis related to alcohol intake changes the level of phosphorus in the blood. The loss of ADH causes parts of the kidney unable to move water back into the body. When levels are low, the brain releases antidiuretic hormone (ADH).
- However, it is believed that light to moderate drinking is unlikely to cause serious health problems for most people.
- In some cases, vast amounts of abdominal fluid may collect, occasionally more than 7 gallons (Epstein 1996).
- Simply lacking an adequate amount of phosphate in the diet is one possible reason for phosphate deficiency.
- Kidney disease can also have an indirect link to alcohol consumption.
Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy: Another Potential Confounder
Excessive alcohol consumption can have profound negative effects on the kidneys and their function in maintaining the body’s fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance. This leaves alcohols vulnerable to many kidney-related health problems. Hepatorenal failure refers to the most frequent and gravest condition in which the kidneys are damaged. It occurs in a person who has cirrhosis of the liver from long-term heavy alcohol consumption. It can appear after severe gastrointestinal bleeding, or occasionally, for no identifiable reason. The kidneys gradually fail to produce urine and, within a short time, the patient expires.
Drinking Alcohol Affects Your Kidneys
- For women, heavy drinking is defined as drinking more than three drinks in a single sitting or more than seven drinks in a day.
- To estimate your individual needs, speak with your healthcare provider—particularly if you have or are at risk of hypertension.
- Liquor itself is very low in both potassium and phosphorus, but when included with mixers such as tomato juice or orange juice, can become high potassium beverages.
- She has nearly a decade of experience with kidney disease patients in all stages – from stage 1 through kidney transplant.
- Alternatively, moderate and heavy drinking had a 79 and 91% increase in blood pressure.
- A person may feel intense back pain or pain in their genitals or stomach as the body attempts to pass the stone.
- Having kidney stones increases your risk of developing hydronephrosis.
For men, heavy alcohol use is defined as more than four drinks in a single sitting or more than 14 drinks in a week. For women, heavy drinking is defined as drinking more than three drinks in a single sitting or more than seven drinks in a day. It is important to remember that someone who is an older adult or has health problems may be more susceptible to the effects of alcohol than the general population. Excessive alcohol use can also cause liver disease, which in turn puts more stress on the kidneys. For this reason, chronic alcohol use can lead to both liver and kidney disease.
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 alcohol and kidneys mitochondrial dysfunction in the kidneys (Harris et al. 2015). In turn, heavy alcohol consumption is implicated in the development of these cardiac diseases, with chronic, heavy drinkers at higher risk than those who consume small to moderate amounts of alcohol.