There are situations when you need to take tests, but the person has been drinking. Accordingly, the question arises, is it possible to drink alcohol before donating blood? First of all, people are not interested in rumors, but in what authoritative scientific studies say about the effect of alcohol on blood tests.
Alcohol and blood composition
You need to know: alcohol affects all organs and systems of the body, as it is instantly absorbed into the blood and changes its composition. This is the main reason why alcohol affects the blood test and changes the indicators.
That is why, if you want to get accurate results and drink the day before, you should consider whether it is possible to donate blood after alcohol and, if possible, postpone blood donation for two or three days. Of course, the effect of alcohol on blood tests may turn out to be small, and in some cases the indicators will not change much: a lot depends on the individual characteristics of the body, the amount drunk, the type ofanalysis and type of alcohol. But still, it is better not to take risks: if the analysis pays off, you can lose large sums of money.
And if it is more or less clear with vodka, then when it comes to a low-alcoholic drink, so that an alcohol lover understands whether it is possible to drink beer before taking it, you need to understand exactly how alcohol drunk before the tests affects the body. To do this, you need to have some idea of how alcohol affects metabolism and other processes.
Clinical blood test
Alcohol causes the body to become dehydrated, which causes the blood to thicken. This leads to the fact that a general blood test can show a false increase in the number of leukocytes, erythrocytes, platelets, while it is not their number that has changed, but the amount of water in the blood.
There may be another image. For example, excess alcohol reduces the level of white blood cells in the blood. This is because the immune cells die in the fight against the toxins, causing the white blood cell count to drop below normal. The fewer white blood cells in the blood, the harder it is for the body to deal with infections.
Of course, drinking one or two doses of alcohol is unlikely to negatively affect the functioning of the immune system. But if a lot of alcohol is drunk, it's a completely different story. If some time after drinking a person feels drunk, this is an accurate indicator that the immune system is damaged. With such amounts of alcohol, a lack of nutrients is created, which weakens the immune system. And all this is able to display the analysis.
Alcohol also has a negative effect on red blood cells: it makes them stick together. Because of this, clumps of red blood cells are often unable to pass through narrow vessels and block blood flow through capillaries. This drastically reduces the supply of oxygen to the tissues and the cells of the body begin to lack oxygen. This negatively affects the state of health and, accordingly, the analysis.
Biochemical analysis
Alcohol should not be drunk during blood tests, including if it is necessary to conduct an analysis of the biochemical composition of plasma. These data are necessary for the doctor to obtain information about the normal functioning of the kidneys, liver, heart and other important organs.
Indicators of a biochemical blood test include studies of enzymes, proteins, hormones, electrolytes, glucose, potassium, sodium, chlorine, carbon dioxide and other substances. Excessive or accidental consumption can lead to an imbalance of acid-base balance and change the level of all indicators, which will affect the results of the analysis.
Alcohol consumption negatively affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Therefore, if the doctor prescribes tests aimed at diagnosing his labor, the results will be negative. For example, if we talk about how alcohol affects total cholesterol (necessary for the creation of brain tissue, nerve cells, hormones), then alcohol increases its level in the blood no less than fatsanimal.
Although the body needs cholesterol, its excessive amount can cause heart disease, as it is the cause of atherosclerosis.
Another type of blood test that is strongly affected by alcohol consumption is tests that check liver function. Basically, they measure whether the enzymes it produces have deviated from the norm. Their number after alcohol can be increased or decreased, depending on the state of the liver.
After drinking alcohol, the level of ammonia in the blood rises, which is the end product of protein metabolism. It then enters the liver through the portal vein, where it is converted into urea. The level of this toxic substance greatly affects acid-base balance and brain function. Drinking alcohol increases the amount of this toxin in the blood and poisons the tissues.
Hormones and alcohol
If a person drinks alcohol before taking a blood test for hormones, the result will not be reliable. The fact is that hormones are chemicals that control and coordinate the activity of all tissues and organs. Each of them is secreted by a certain gland and, after entering the bloodstream, is directed to the target cell.
For the hormonal system to function normally and for the tissues to respond properly, the amount of hormones in the blood must be constantly normal. Alcohol consumption significantly disrupts the activity of hormone-producing glands, which has a negative impact on health. That is why if a person drinks before donating blood, the work of the hormonal system will be disturbed, which will be reflected in the test results. Therefore, to the question of whether it is possible to drink alcohol before donating blood for hormones, the answer is no.
An example of alcohol's effect on the hormonal system is its effect on sex hormones. Among them, the most important are two groups of hormones - androgens and estrogens. These hormones affect puberty and various manifestations of secondary and primary sex characteristics in both males and females (hair growth, breast development, menstrual cycle, fertility).
Alcohol has a negative effect on all these processes, which affects the results of the analysis, and is the answer, is it possible to drink alcohol before donating blood. If you constantly drink alcohol, impotence and infertility often develop.
alcohol and glucose
If you have to donate blood to get sugar (glucose), know that although it is not a hormone, it clearly shows if two other hormones, insulin and glucagon, produced by the pancreas, do their job. The fact is that glucose is the body's main source of energy, thanks to which cells can grow and develop.
Hormones in the pancreas, along with the adrenal and pituitary glands, regulate and maintain normal blood sugar levels. For example, insulin's job is to deliver glucose to every cell in the body. Its work is especially important for the activity of the brain, since it does not store glucose, but completely depends on the supply of this substance from the blood.
Alcohol disrupts the activity of all these glands, which slows down glucose metabolism and its level is lower than normal. But there can also be a leap in the big direction. For example, in chronic alcoholics, on the contrary, the level of glucose in the blood is increased, which leads to a decrease in the sensitivity of insulin receptors.
In any case, the deviation of sugar from the norm is an alarming sign. That is why if a person donates blood for sugar after drinking alcohol, the doctor may suspect that he has diabetes.
When is it allowed to take
Thus, it is obvious that alcohol, having a negative impact on the work of many organs and systems, is the reason why the blood test gives negative results, which prompts the doctor to sound the alarm. The time it takes for the body to function depends on:
- how long has passed since the last dose taken;
- how much the person drank;
- How much does he usually drink?
If it was a glass of wine, you can donate blood for a general analysis in one day. If you have to pass a biochemical or other analysis that requires more thorough preparation, it is allowed to come for the analysis after three days. In case of taking a large dose of alcohol, it is necessary to endure a longer period before taking the tests. To get the most accurate data, it is better to wait two weeks.