Moderate drinking linked to lower CKD prevalence

Alcohol consumption appears to have a U-shaped association with chronic kidney disease (CKD), with fewer moderate drinkers having the disease as compared with nondrinkers and heavy drinkers, according to a study.

The study used data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) and included 4,664 adult participants (mean age 43.7 years, 49.2 percent male) who participated in a baseline alcohol survey in 1997 and were followed up in 2009. Researchers obtained data on alcohol consumption using standardized questionnaires, with CKD (defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m²) as the outcome.

In total, 62.7 percent of the population were classified as nondrinkers while 37.3 percent had consumed alcohol at baseline. Current drinkers were mostly men and more likely to have had at least senior high school education and be current smokers as compared with nondrinkers. The latter, meanwhile, had lower systolic/diastolic blood pressure than drinkers.

In logistic regression models, alcohol drinkers had a lower likelihood of CKD than nondrinkers (11.0 percent vs 16.6 percent; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.76, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.58–1.00). Furthermore, restricted cubic splines revealed that the relationship between alcohol consumption and CKD prevalence was U-shaped.

The odds of CKD markedly increased when alcohol consumption exceeded 18 standard drinks per week (aOR, 1.66, 95 percent CI, 1.00–2.76). Over the 12-year follow-up, approximately one-fourth of the population changed their drinking patterns. Male drinkers with persistent drinking patterns had the lowest prevalence of CKD (aOR, 0.48, 95 percent CI, 0.31–0.73).

Despite the encouraging results, researchers emphasized that nondrinkers should not begin to drink alcohol. Additional studies are needed to explore the mechanisms underlying the protective effect of moderate drinking on CKD risk.