Dr. Sarah Wakeman

And then all of a sudden they're in their late 20s, early 30s in the hospital and liver failure. And, you know, there's very little we can do at that point other than an organ transplant, which is a huge deal and not something that's accessible to everyone.

And then all of a sudden they're in their late 20s, early 30s in the hospital and liver failure. And, you know, there's very little we can do at that point other than an organ transplant, which is a huge deal and not something that's accessible to everyone.

And then all of a sudden they're in their late 20s, early 30s in the hospital and liver failure. And, you know, there's very little we can do at that point other than an organ transplant, which is a huge deal and not something that's accessible to everyone.

Yeah, and there's actually a lot of studies showing this. So between, you know, 2010 and 2020, there's been a significant increase in alcohol related liver failure, especially amongst women. and younger and younger people. And even just after the onset of COVID, we saw somewhere around a 25% increase in alcohol-related death after the onset of the pandemic.

Yeah, and there's actually a lot of studies showing this. So between, you know, 2010 and 2020, there's been a significant increase in alcohol related liver failure, especially amongst women. and younger and younger people. And even just after the onset of COVID, we saw somewhere around a 25% increase in alcohol-related death after the onset of the pandemic.

Yeah, and there's actually a lot of studies showing this. So between, you know, 2010 and 2020, there's been a significant increase in alcohol related liver failure, especially amongst women. and younger and younger people. And even just after the onset of COVID, we saw somewhere around a 25% increase in alcohol-related death after the onset of the pandemic.

So the pandemic was hard for many reasons, but it certainly increased alcohol use across the country and with that, liver disease and liver failure.

So the pandemic was hard for many reasons, but it certainly increased alcohol use across the country and with that, liver disease and liver failure.

So the pandemic was hard for many reasons, but it certainly increased alcohol use across the country and with that, liver disease and liver failure.

How does alcohol impact the kidneys? So alcohol, one of the main effects that people have probably experienced is it makes your kidneys less sensitive to a hormone your body produces called ADH or antidiuretic hormone. And so you pee more. So if anyone's ever noticed that when they drink, they sort of pee a lot more.

How does alcohol impact the kidneys? So alcohol, one of the main effects that people have probably experienced is it makes your kidneys less sensitive to a hormone your body produces called ADH or antidiuretic hormone. And so you pee more. So if anyone's ever noticed that when they drink, they sort of pee a lot more.

How does alcohol impact the kidneys? So alcohol, one of the main effects that people have probably experienced is it makes your kidneys less sensitive to a hormone your body produces called ADH or antidiuretic hormone. And so you pee more. So if anyone's ever noticed that when they drink, they sort of pee a lot more.

And it's not because you're hydrated, because that's what I thought is why you pee more is because, oh, I just have more liquid in me, but it's actually because it's blocking a hormone. Exactly. So even irrespective of how much volume you've drank, you pee more because of this blocking of the effect of a normal hormone function in your kidney.

And it's not because you're hydrated, because that's what I thought is why you pee more is because, oh, I just have more liquid in me, but it's actually because it's blocking a hormone. Exactly. So even irrespective of how much volume you've drank, you pee more because of this blocking of the effect of a normal hormone function in your kidney.

And it's not because you're hydrated, because that's what I thought is why you pee more is because, oh, I just have more liquid in me, but it's actually because it's blocking a hormone. Exactly. So even irrespective of how much volume you've drank, you pee more because of this blocking of the effect of a normal hormone function in your kidney.

And so that can lead to dehydration, which is one of the many reasons you feel really crummy the next day because you get dehydrated from drinking. What about the gut microbiome?

And so that can lead to dehydration, which is one of the many reasons you feel really crummy the next day because you get dehydrated from drinking. What about the gut microbiome?

And so that can lead to dehydration, which is one of the many reasons you feel really crummy the next day because you get dehydrated from drinking. What about the gut microbiome?

Yeah. So alcohol, I think there's growing research on how it impacts the microbiome. Certainly, again, at heavy levels, it seems to harm the microbiome. And we see this in patients with liver disease, but also just the impact of alcohol itself. The kind of two main things it does, one is it creates more leakage in your gut. So people may have heard of kind of leaky gut.

Yeah. So alcohol, I think there's growing research on how it impacts the microbiome. Certainly, again, at heavy levels, it seems to harm the microbiome. And we see this in patients with liver disease, but also just the impact of alcohol itself. The kind of two main things it does, one is it creates more leakage in your gut. So people may have heard of kind of leaky gut.