Liver decline slowed by off-label use of nerve pain drug

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. Conversely, other recent data suggest a lower risk for dementia in people consuming a few alcoholic beverages a day. This includes a 2022 study showing that in around 27,000 people, consuming up to 40 grams of alcohol (around 2.5 drinks) a day was linked to a lower risk for dementia versus abstinence in adults over age 60. A much larger study of almost 4 million people in Korea noted that mild to moderate alcohol consumption was linked to a lower risk for dementia compared to non-drinking.

Kidney Structure and Function

However, alcohol consumption can have negative effects on the body and should generally be avoided if you want to keep your kidneys healthy. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a substantial public health problem, affecting 15.7 million people age 12 and older in the United States (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality 2016). In 2012, 5.9 percent of all global deaths were attributable to alcohol—7.6 percent for men and 4.0 percent for women. Moreover, alcohol-attributable deaths have increased worldwide, making alcohol the fifth leading risk factor for premature death and disability in 2010 and the first among people ages 15 to 49 (World Health Organization 2014).

Drinking Alcohol Affects Your Kidneys

• One reason is that women have less water in their bodies, so the alcohol becomes more concentrated.
• In addition, hydrogen ion concentration (i.e., acid-base balance) influences cell structure and permeability as well as the rate of metabolic reactions.
• One example of an alcohol-related acid-base disturbance already has been mentioned in relation to low levels of phosphate (i.e., respiratory alkalosis resulting from hyperventilation during alcohol withdrawal).
• You can make mocktails in a fancy glass if you want to drink something special, especially in social situations.
• In lieu of an RDA, the National Institutes of Health’s Food and Nutrition Board has established an Adequate Intake (AI) for fluid, which is used when there isn’t enough evidence for an RDA.
• One such complication is impaired vitamin D metabolism (Shankar et al. 2008), which may influence the function of several other organs, creating a vicious cycle.

Genetic and individual differences sometimes need to be taken into account [78]. As known, alcohol tolerance varies greatly from person to person, and some nations consume more alcohol than others. Although studies on individual differences in alcohol consumption and CKD are limited, existing studies have found that individual variation in an alcohol dehydrogenase gene may play a role [98], but more studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Association between total alcohol intake and change in the eGFR over 12 years

Excessive alcohol consumption can put a strain on the kidneys as about 10% of alcohol that is ingested is excreted into the kidneys in its original form. Moderate alcohol drinking may be okay for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are not on dialysis. However, it’s best to first check with your nephrologist or renal dietitian to find out if alcohol is safe for you. If you’re able to drink alcohol safely, your healthcare team will advise you on the types and amounts that are right for you.

• Alkaline water has a higher pH of about 8-9 than tap water of about 7, due to a higher mineral or salt content.
• 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.

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Clinical studies of hypertensive patients have demonstrated that reducing alcohol intake lowers blood pressure and resuming consumption raises it. Although the mechanisms responsible for these effects how does alcohol affect the kidneys have not been established, an experimental study by Chan and Sutter (1983) offers some insight. Specific effects of drinking patterns have been demonstrated in a study of ischemic heart diseases [76].

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