Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages and chronic kidney disease: more benefit than harm?
Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages seems to be beneficial in the risk of chronic kidney disease.
The recent epidemic of obesity is considered as the cause of the worldwide increase in metabolic complications, some of which leading to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes. CKD now affects 4 %–13 % of the Western adult population and more than 25% of individuals over 65. It is a health problem that results in high morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. In the United States, more than 400,000 individuals currently receive some form of renal replacement therapy, and this number is expected to reach 2.2 million by 2030. Besides being a risk factor for end-stage renal disease, CKD is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and most patients with CKD die from CVD before any renal replacement therapy is initiated. Prevention, early recognition and treatment of CKD aimed at reducing renal disease progression may limit its health-related burden. Scientists worldwide are thus seeking novel modifiable risk factors.
Consumption of alcoholic beverages is often seen as a risk factor for CKD since it can increase blood pressure; patients are frequently advised to reduce their alcohol intake. However, the studies on the risk of developing kidney disease with alcohol consumption as well as on the risk in patients with CKD consuming alcoholic beverages are still rather controversial. For instance, the question whether the drinking pattern combined with the weekly frequency of consuming alcoholic beverages and the quantity per drinking day is associated with the risk of CKD, has never been investigated.
Two recent epidemiological studies looked at the association between the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in non-diabetics and in diabetics. A third publication, a meta-analysis including 20 studies, examined the progression of kidney damage in patients with CKD consuming high amounts of alcohol.
All three studies indicate that moderate and even higher consumption of alcoholic beverages may impose more benefits than risks. However, these results also show that much more research is needed to find better scientific evidence for a general advice on the consumption of alcoholic beverages for individuals with chronic kidney disease.
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