Alcohol consumption and risk of chronic kidney disease

Epidemiological studies have found conflicting results about the effects of alcohol on the kidneys. A research project explored the relationships between alcohol consumption and chronic kidney disease.
Data from the National Health Interview Survey, the National Health Insurance research database, and the National Deaths Dataset were used. Standardized in-person interviews were performed in 2001, 2005, and 2009 to obtain the demographic characteristics of study population. The participants were followed up until 2013. The primary outcome was new-onset chronic kidney disease.
45,200 adults older than 18 years with an overall mean age of 42.73 years were included in the study. During the follow-up, new-onset chronic kidney disease was recognized in 1535 (5.5%), 292 (2.7%), and 317 (4.9%) non-drinking, social-drinking, and regular-drinking participants, respectively. The participants who were social and regular drinkers had a significantly decreased risk of chronic kidney disease incidence (social drinking: adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.85; regular-drinking: AHR, 0.85, with baseline demographics and comorbidities adjusted.
In conclusion, social and regular drinkers had decreased risk of chronic kidney disease when compared with non-drinkers.
Source: Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Nationwide Observational Cohort Study.Lai YJ, Chen YY, Lin YK, Chen CC, Yen YF, Deng CY.Nutrients. 2019 Sep 6;11(9). pii: E2121.