Does drinking beer damage your kidneys?

As we all know, kidney is one of the important organs of human body. If the kidney of human body does not exist, then the human body will often have a series of conditions such as sweating, weakness and inability to work normally. Therefore, protecting the kidney is our unshirkable responsibility. Since moderate drinking of beer can promote human health, many people have the habit of drinking beer. So, will drinking beer hurt the kidney?

For many people who like to drink, they are very curious about whether drinking beer can cause kidney damage. In order to help everyone resolve this doubt, this article specifically provides a detailed answer to the question of whether drinking beer can damage the kidneys.

If the kidneys are not healthy, all the internal organs will be sick.

Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Although the kidneys are ranked last among the five internal organs, their function is the most important. If the kidney is likened to a boiler, then the slag (metabolites) produced by the body's combustion must be discharged through the boiler. Once there is a problem with the boiler, the waste cannot be discharged, which will not only damage the boiler but also the entire system will collapse.

The kidneys have three major functions. One is to produce urine and maintain water balance. Each kidney in the human body has about 1.3 million glomeruli, which can filter and clean 200 liters of blood every day, equivalent to 10 barrels of drinking water, and form about 1.8 liters of urine. When there is too much or too little water in the human body, the kidneys regulate the amount of urine to maintain water balance in the body. The second is to excrete metabolites and toxic substances from the human body. The human body's metabolism produces metabolic waste, such as urea, uric acid, creatinine, etc. The kidneys maintain normal physiological activities by excreting these wastes through urine. The third is endocrine function. For example, it secretes erythropoietin (EPO) to promote bone marrow hematopoiesis, active vitamin D to regulate calcium and phosphorus metabolism, maintain the normal structure and function of bones, secrete vasoactive substances to regulate blood pressure, etc.

It is precisely because the kidneys have these three functions that if there is a problem with the kidneys, problems will also occur in other parts of the body. In the early stages of kidney disease, symptoms include fatigue, weakness, swollen eyelids, pale face, large amounts of foam in the urine, and painful or difficult urination. Next, you will experience loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, back pain, increased nocturia, generalized edema, increased blood pressure, urine odor on the breath, bone pain, itchy skin, muscle tremors, numbness of the hands and feet, and slow reaction. If it is serious, the above symptoms will continue to worsen and will lead to multiple organ failure such as heart, liver, and lungs.

Kidney disease is a silent killer

The latest epidemiological surveys show that chronic kidney disease has become one of the major diseases threatening public health worldwide, and its prevalence is even higher than that of some common cancers.

Compared with other major diseases that endanger human health, chronic kidney disease can be said to be a silent killer. Chronic kidney disease includes nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, renal failure, uremia, etc. These diseases are very hidden and have no obvious symptoms at the onset, making it difficult for patients to pay attention to them. Therefore, many patients have already developed end-stage kidney disease or even uremia when they begin to seek medical treatment. The average annual medical expenses for patients with uremia exceed 100,000 yuan, causing many families to become poor or return to poverty due to the disease. The best way to avoid this is to protect your kidneys properly.

Four lifestyles that are most harmful to kidneys

Eat seafood and drink beer. Eating a large amount of high-protein food, such as fish and meat, will produce too much metabolic waste such as uric acid and urea nitrogen, which will increase the burden on kidney excretion. Drinking a lot of alcohol can easily lead to hyperuricemia. These habits can also cause metabolic diseases such as hyperlipidemia and trigger kidney disease. Summer is here, and many people like to eat seafood and drink beer at the same time. This way of eating has been called the most kidney-damaging way by nephrologists.

Staying up late, eating salty food, and not drinking water. Staying up late for a long time, high work pressure, and drinking strong tea and coffee can easily lead to kidney problems. A salty diet can lead to high blood pressure, which prevents the kidneys from maintaining normal blood flow, thus inducing kidney disease. If you do not drink water for a long time, the amount of urine will decrease, and the concentration of waste and toxins carried in the urine will increase, which can easily cause kidney stones, hydronephrosis, etc.

Taking drugs indiscriminately or overdosing on them. Long-term use of nephrotoxic drugs can easily lead to tubulointerstitial damage. These drugs include Chinese herbal medicines containing aristolochic acid, such as Aristolochia strychni, Aristolochia stephania, and Aucklandia lappa, as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, such as painkillers and paracetamol, which can easily cause kidney damage.

Often hold urine. If urine stays in the bladder for a long time, bacteria will multiply and then travel back through the ureters to the kidneys, causing urinary tract infection and pyelonephritis. Once recurring, it can cause chronic infection and is difficult to cure.

Through this article's introduction to the functions of the kidneys, their importance to the human body, and the four lifestyles that can easily damage the kidneys, I believe everyone already has the answer to the question of whether drinking beer can damage the kidneys. In view of the importance of the kidneys to our human body, I hope everyone will protect their kidneys in their daily lives and stay away from lifestyles that can easily damage the kidneys.