Association between drinking status and risk of kidney stones among United States adults: NHANES 2007-2018

A study by researchers in China investigated the relationship between drinking status and kidney stone occurrence among United States (US) adults who consume alcohol.
A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2007-2018). Questionnaires yielded information on alcohol consumption and kidney health. Drinking status was categorised into four groups-former, mild, moderate, and heavy-based on alcohol consumption patterns. The researchers explored the relationship between drinking status and the prevalence of kidney stones occurrence. For this analysis, a group of individuals diagnosed with kidney stones was analysed. With survey weights applied, the total weight of the group was 185,690,415.
Former drinkers were less likely to have previously experienced kidney stones (OR 0.762, 95% CI 0.595-0.977). In subgroup analysis, heavy alcohol consumption was associated with a significantly reduced likelihood of kidney stones occurrence in various populations. The adjusted odds ratios (with 95% confidence intervals) of kidney stones risk for heavy alcohol consumption were 0.745 (0.566-0.981) for young individuals, 0.566 (0.342-0.939) for older individuals, 0.708 (0.510-0.981) for individuals of white race, 0.468 (0.269-0.817) for individuals with underweight/normal BMI, 0.192 (0.066-0.560) for widowed people, 0.538 (0.343-0.843) for smoking individuals, 0.749 (0.595-0.941) for individuals without a cancer history, and 0.724 (0.566-0.925) for individuals without a stroke history.
In US adults who consume alcohol, a negative linear relationship is apparent between drinking status and the prevalence of kidney stones, with heavy drinking showing a lower prevalence compared to former drinkers. However, the causal relationship between drinking status and kidney stones requires further investigation in future research endeavours, the authors say.
Source: Wei B, Tan W, He S, Yang S, Gu C, Wang S. Association between drinking status and risk of kidney stones among United States adults: NHANES 2007-2018. BMC Public Health. 2024 Mar 15;24(1):820. .