HealthDay News – Drinking a small amount of wine each day is associated with reduced odds of chronic kidney disease and may help protect the heart among those with CKD, according to researchers.
Compared with people who drank no wine at all, those who consumed less than one glass per day had a 37% lower prevalence of CKD (odds ratio 0.63; P<0.0001), Tapan Mehta, MD, of the University of Colorado-Denver, reported at the National Kidney Foundation Spring 2014 Clinical Meeting.
The association remained significant even after adjusting for demographics, waist circumference, diabetes, hypertension, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (OR 0.75; P=0.004).
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Among patients with CKD, those who consumed less than a glass of wine daily were 29% less likely to have cardiovascular disease than non-wine drinkers (OR 0.71; P=0.02).
The findings are based on data from 5,852 individuals who participated in 2003-2006 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, of whom 1,031 had CKD.
Among participants, 2,455 were non-wine drinkers and 27 consumed one or fewer glasses per day, the researchers found. Non-wine drinkers were significantly younger, and had lower prevalence of diabetes and hypertension, higher mean waist circumference, and lower HDL-C levels.
Moderation is the key for kidney patients when it comes to alcohol consumption, the researchers emphasized.
“Excess alcohol consumption has definitely been shown to have negative effects on kidney function,” said Thomas Manley, RN, director of scientific studies at the National Kidney Foundation. “Alcohol can also worsen hypertension, a major cause of CKD, so those with poorly controlled hypertension should definitely limit the amount of alcohol they consume. It’s also important to consider the nutritional contents of the various alcoholic drinks to be sure they comply with the prescribed renal diet.”
