Your liver and kidneys work together to keep you alive and healthy. Your liver breaks down toxic substances in your body and excretes the waste products into your blood for elimination. Your kidneys clean toxins and wastes out of your blood and eliminate them through urine. Unless you avoid alcohol completely, if you have chronic kidney disease (CKD) you may be wondering how drinking alcoholic beverages might impact your kidney health. Here, AKF Kidney Kitchen® contributor Dr. Blake Shusterman, aka ‘The Cooking Doc,’ explains the connection between alcohol and kidney disease.*

Alcohol won’t cause CKD

For most people, Shusterman says, the risk of developing CKD has little to do with drinking alcohol, particularly “if you stick to one standard alcohol drink each day (one 1.5-oz shot, one 12-oz. glass of beer or one 5-oz. glass of wine).” 

If you’re already living with kidney disease, he adds, then occasional drinking isn’t likely to increase your need for dialysis. That doesn’t mean, however, that alcohol is safe for all CKD patients, or that it can’t lead to complications, such as interference with the internal mechanisms that control normal kidney function.

Points to keep in mind if you drink with CKD

Shusterman says that you may be able to continue drinking alcoholic beverages if you keep the following points in mind and follow certain precautions. 

• Watch out for interactions with medications. Alcohol can interfere with medication efficacy, causing it to have either a reduced or an exaggerated effect. Drugs that are especially susceptible to interactions with alcohol include, among others:
  • Diabetes medication, 
  • Heart meds, 
  • Sleep aids, and
  • Pain medications. 
• Monitor your blood pressure and heart rate, especially when drinking alcohol, as it can increase both, and potentially lead to a heart attack or stroke. 
• Include alcohol in your fluid count. If you’re on a fluid restriction diet, drinking or eating too much fluid can cause swelling in your limbs and put pressure on your lungs and other vital organs. 
• Know your limits and minimize intake. If you drink enough to impair your judgement, you may eat foods that can aggravate your CKD, forget to take necessary medications, and otherwise put your health at further risk. Shusterman’s suggestion of sticking to one drink per week could help prevent this from happening.

In addition to the risks listed above, says Shusterman, liver diseases such as alcohol-related cirrhosis and hepatitis can also indirectly damage the kidneys, and even lead to temporary or permanent renal failure.

If you have CKD and want to drink alcohol, ask your doctor for guidance regarding its safety for your specific health situation, as well as the safety of mixing alcohol with your current medications. 

*Shusterman, B. (2023, April 4). Alcohol and kidney disease [Blog Post]. American Kidney Fund. https://www.kidneyfund.org/article/alcohol-and-kidney-disease 

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