Kidney pain after drinking alcohol. The kidneys are not directly damaged by the occasional large intake of alcohol. Still, there are several causes that cause kidney pain after too much alcohol. Alcohol also promotes kidney inflammation and the formation of kidney stones.
How Much Alcohol Does Alcohol Cause Kidney Damage?
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a “moderate amount” of alcohol, such as about a 12 ounce glass of beer or 8 ounces of wine, contains about the same amount of toxic heavy metals (especially iron). However, these heavy metals also can damage your immune system and damage your kidneys in ways that harm kidney health.
A “heavy” amount means, to many people, 10 drinks for men and 5 drinks for women. Moderate amounts of alcohol contain less heavy metals but a number of health-damaging substances.
Many people use alcohol to lose weight, but these are dangerous, in large amounts, and many people don’t know how much they should drink or how much they should avoid.
In studies, heavy drinkers have developed kidney problems, particularly kidney stones, the biggest risk factor for kidney disease. Most of these are of the calcium-based type. But many studies also have implicated alcohol as a cause of kidney problems.
How Much Alcohol Causes Kidney Disease?
When drinking heavily or overdoing it, alcohol depletes your body of a wide variety of nutrients and minerals, including the iron that is essential to the proper functioning of your cells and the sulfur needed to keep the body’s organs healthy. High blood pressure is also affected by high blood alcohol content.
How Much Alcohol Does Alcohol Cause Kidney Disease?
Drinking too much alcohol, especially when drinking at low doses, can cause kidney stone formation and severe kidney damage. The most common form is kidney stones that can block arteries and lead to stroke, as well as kidney failure. A study conducted in Finland showed that heavy drinkers had a 10 percent greater chance of developing kidney stones compared to people who don’t drink heavily.
For men, the amount of alcohol found in a moderate drink (four drinks per day for men, and two drinks per day for women) was associated with an increased risk of kidney stones of about 1 percent a year. The increased risk of stones is highest among people with a family history of kidney disease.
Research on the cause of kidney disease has been limited because researchers haven’t investigated the health effects that drinking alcohol might have on the body. Researchers suspect it’s the increased body levels of alcohol that are causing kidney problems in people who drink heavily.
High blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol are all known to increase the risk of kidney disease. High blood pressure is thought to increase the risk of kidney stones by raising the level of sodium in the blood. Over weight has been linked to high blood pressure, as well. Smoking, high alcohol consumption and other factors have also been associated with kidney disease.
A study in Israel showed that heavy drinkers who don’t drink regularly had a greater chance of getting a kidney stone than people who drink two to four drinks per day. When the study was performed on people over 35, about one in ten who did not drink regularly had kidney stones.
Alcohol can also cause the inflammation that leads to kidney stones.
The following are some of the health benefits of alcohol:
- Boosts your immune system
- Reduces inflammation
- Reduces diabetes
- Boosts your sense of energy
- Gets rid of the taste of alcohol
- Promotes regular bowel movements
- Promotes a positive body image
- Promotes a healthier body image
- Relieves pain
- Boosts memory
- Prevents cancer and heart disease
- Prolongs life
- Contains minerals that are vital to your body
- Promotes physical and mental well-being
- Has helped many to achieve their personal and professional goals
- Does not harm unborn babies
- May help cancer patients
- Can help you lose weight
- May help you to keep from being fat
- Has been used for centuries to ward off evil
- Provides a sense of rest
- Allows you to sleep more soundly
- Prevents many diseases
- Supports your memory
- Tricks your body into feeling energized and alert
A number of drugs, such as the heart-healthy drug statins, are also used to treat high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Is Alcohol Good for Me?
Alcohol is a natural compound that makes your blood more efficient. However, drinking large amounts of alcohol can also cause problems if consumed in high quantities by your body as part of a sedentary lifestyle. Alcohol also causes problems when combined with certain medicines, particularly certain herbal supplements.
Do alcohol and health conditions go together?
It’s important to know what’s actually causing your health problems with drinking alcohol, as alcohol doesn’t always go together. It’s possible to have a combination of many different symptoms. Many conditions that increase alcohol can lead to other health problems, such can cause symptoms of alcohol.
