http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/504496?src=nldne
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Moderate Alcohol Use May Lower Risk of Renal Dysfunction
By Anthony J. Brown, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) May 09 - Moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to beneficial cardiovascular effects and now new research suggests that it may help stave off renal dysfunction.
Previous reports have yielded conflicting results regarding the effects of alcohol use on kidney function, study author Dr. Tobias Kurth, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, told Reuters Health. "However, our study is really the first to look at apparently healthy individuals and the effect of drinking behavior on the initiation of chronic kidney disease."
The study, which is reported in the May 9th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, involved nearly 11,000 men who participated in the Physicians' Health Study. At baseline, the subjects were free from renal disease and alcohol consumption was determined. Fourteen years later blood samples were taken to assess kidney function.
At follow-up, 4.3% of men had elevated creatinine levels and 11.8% had decreased glomerular filtration rates.
Men who consumed at least 7 alcoholic beverages per week were 29% less likely to develop elevated creatinine levels than their peers who consumed no more than 1 drink per week (p = 0.01). Consuming 2 to 6 drinks per week had relatively minor effects on the risk.
Similar associations were seen when the researchers looked at the effect of alcohol use on glomerular filtration rates. Moreover, the associations remained strong even after adjusting for hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol levels.
Dr. Kurth noted that due to small subject numbers, no firm conclusions could be reached about the effects of heavy alcohol use, defined as more than 2 drinks per day. However, he said that "due to the hypertensive effects, this degree of use might be expected to have a harmful effect on renal function."
Previous reports have suggested that alcohol's effects may depend on the beverage type. "Because of some data quality issues, we weren't able to sort out the effects by beverage type," Dr. Kurth noted.
Arch Intern Med 2005;165:1048-1053.
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Drinking In Moderation!!!!
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