Association between drinking status and risk of kidney stones among United States adults: NHANES 2007–2018

Abstract Objective This study aimed to investigate the relationship between drinking status and kidney stones occurrence among United States (US) adults who consume alcohol. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2007–2018). Questionnaires yielded information on alcohol consumption and kidney health. Drinking status was categorized into four groups—former, mild, moderate, and heavy—based on alcohol consumption patterns. The aim was to explore the relationship between drinking status and the prevalence of kidney stones occurrence. For this analysis, we examined a group of individuals diagnosed with kidney stones. With survey weights applied, the total weight of the group was 185,690,415. Results We used logistic regression to measure the relationship between drinking status and the likelihood of developing kidney stones. In a fully adjusted model, former drinkers were less likely to have previously experienced kidney stones (OR 0.762, 95% CI 0.595–0.977, P < 0.05). In subgroup analysis, heavy alcohol consumption was associated with a significantly reduced likelihood of kidney stones occurrence in various populations. The adjusted odds ratios (with 95% confidence intervals) of kidney stones risk for heavy alcohol consumption were 0.745 (0.566–0.981) for young individuals, 0.566 (0.342–0.939) for older individuals, 0.708 (0.510–0.981) for individuals of white race, 0.468 (0.269–0.817) for individuals with underweight/normal BMI, 0.192 (0.066–0.560) for widowed people, 0.538 (0.343–0.843) for smoking individuals, 0.749 (0.595–0.941) for individuals without a cancer history, and 0.724 (0.566–0.925) for individuals without a stroke history. Conclusions In US adults who consume alcohol, a negative linear relationship is apparent between drinking status and the prevalence of kidney stones, with heavy drinking showing a lower prevalence compared to former drinkers. However, the causal relationship between drinking status and kidney stones requires further investigation in future research endeavors.