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Alcohol intake and the risk of chronic kidney disease: results from a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis

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Abstract

Many prospective cohort studies have investigated the association between the consumption of alcohol and CKD risk and have revealed inconsistent results. In the present study, we aimed to perform a meta-analysis of these studies to assess this association.We searched the PubMed and Embase databases up to 2020 and reviewed the reference lists of relevant articles to identify appropriate studies. We calculated the pooled relative risks with 95% CIs using random effects models, and then performed subgroup and meta-regression analyses. Dose–response meta-analyses were performed by sex separately. We identified 25 eligible prospective cohort studies, including 514,148 participants and 35,585 incident CKD cases. Compared with the category of minimal alcohol intake, light (RR = 0.90, I2 = 49%), moderate (RR = 0.86, I2 = 40%), and heavy (RR = 0.85, I2 = 51%) alcohol intake were associated with a lower risk of CKD. Subgroup meta-analysis by sex indicated that light (RR = 0.92, I2 = 0%), moderate (RR = 0.83, I2 = 39%) and heavy (RR = 0.76, I2 = 40%), alcohol consumption were inversely associated with CKD risk in male. Dose–response meta-analyses detected a nonlinear inverse association between alcohol consumption and the risk of CKD in all participants and linear inverse association in female participants. This meta-analysis shows that light (<12 g/day), moderate (12–24 g/day), and heavy (>24 g/day) alcohol consumption are protective against chronic kidney disease in adult participants especially in males.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2: Overall relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of CKD for light alcohol consumption (0–12 g/day), moderate alcohol consumption (12–24 g/day), heavy alcohol consumption (>24 g/day), and used to drink alcohol compared with reference groups.
Fig. 3: Funnel plots of publication bias.
Fig. 4

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank AJE for English language editing.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 81470498].

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Author notes

  1. The authors contributed equally: H. C. Yuan, Q. T. Yu

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao, China

    H. C. Yuan & P. Gu

  2. The People’s Hospital of Huaiyin, Jinan, China

    Q. T. Yu & H. Bai

  3. Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan, China

    H. Z. Xu & L. Y. Chen

  4. Department of Clinical Nutrition, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Jinan, China

    L. Y. Chen

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  1. H. C. Yuan
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Contributions

Conceptualization: LYC (second corresponding author) and PG (first corresponding author). Literature search and data collection: HCY and QTY. Data analysis and interpretation: HCY and HB. Drafting of the original manuscript: HCY. Review and editing: HB and HZX.

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Correspondence to P. Gu or L. Y. Chen.

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Yuan, H.C., Yu, Q.T., Bai, H. et al. Alcohol intake and the risk of chronic kidney disease: results from a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr 75, 1555–1567 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00873-x

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