There are situations when you have to take a test, but the person is drinking. Accordingly, the question arises, is it permissible to drink alcohol before donating blood? First of all, people are not interested in rumors, but what authoritative scientific studies say about the effects of alcohol on blood tests.
Alcohol and blood composition
You should know: alcohol affects all organs and systems of the body due to the fact that it is immediately absorbed into the blood and changes its composition. This is the main reason alcohol affects blood tests and alters indicators.
That is why, if you want to get the right results and drink the day before, you need to think about 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 be small, and in some cases the indicators will not change much: much depends on individual characteristics of the body, the amount consumed, the type of analysis, and the type of alcohol. Still, it’s better not to take risks: if the analysis is paid for, you could lose serious money.
And if it’s more or less obvious with vodka, then when it comes to low -alcohol beverages, so that alcohol lovers understand whether to drink beer before consuming it, you need to understand exactly how alcohol is drunk before the test. affect the body. To do this, you need to have an idea of how alcohol affects metabolism and other processes.
Clinical blood tests
Alcohol causes dehydration of the body, which causes the blood to thicken. This leads to the fact that general blood tests can show a false increase in the number of leukocytes, erythrocytes, platelets, when not their number has changed, but the amount of water in the blood.
There may be other images. For example, excess alcohol reduces the level of white blood cells in the blood. This is due to the fact that immune cells die in the fight against toxins, which causes the number of leukocytes to be below normal. The fewer white blood cells in the blood, the harder it is for the body to cope with infection.
Of course, drinking one or two doses of alcohol is unlikely to negatively affect the function of the immune system. But if a lot of alcohol is drunk, this is a completely different story. If some time after drinking a person feels intoxicated, this is an accurate indicator that the immune system is being harmed. With such a quantity of alcohol, a lack of nutrients is created, which weakens the immune system. And all of this is capable of displaying analysis.
Alcohol also has a negative effect on red blood cells: it causes them to stick to each other. Because of this, red blood cell clots are often unable to enter the narrow ducts, and block blood flow in the capillaries. This significantly reduces the tissue’s supply with oxygen, and the body’s cells begin to experience oxygen starvation. This has a negative impact on the state of health, and, thus, the analysis.
Biochemical analysis
Alcohol should not be consumed during any blood test, including if necessary to take analysis of the biochemical composition of plasma. This data is needed by doctors to obtain information about the normal function of the kidneys, liver, heart and other vital organs.
Biochemical blood test indicators include the study of enzymes, proteins, hormones, electrolytes, glucose, potassium, sodium, chlorine, carbon dioxide and other substances. Excessive or inadvertent drinking can cause an imbalance in the acid-base balance and alter the levels of all indicators, which will affect the results of the analysis.
Drinking alcohol has a negative effect on the function of the cardiovascular system. Therefore, if the doctor prescribes a test aimed at diagnosing his work, the result will be negative. For example, if we talk about how alcohol affects the amount of cholesterol (needed to create brain tissue, nerve cells, hormones), then alcohol increases its level in the blood no less than animal fats.
Although the body needs cholesterol, excessive amounts can cause heart disease, as it is the cause of atherosclerosis.
Another type of blood test that is heavily influenced by alcohol consumption is a test that checks liver function. Basically, they measure whether the enzymes they produce have deviated from the norm. Their number after alcohol can either increase or decrease, depending on the condition of the liver.
After drinking alcohol, the level of ammonia in the blood increases, which is the end product of protein metabolism. It then enters the liver through the portal vein, where it is converted to urea. Levels of these toxic substances greatly affect 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 doing a blood test for hormones, the results are unreliable. The fact is that hormones are chemicals that control and coordinate the activity of all tissues and organs. Each of them is secreted by specific glands and, after entering the bloodstream, directed to target cells.
In order for the hormonal system to function normally, and the tissues to respond properly, the amount of hormones in the blood must always be normal. Drinking alcohol significantly interferes with the activity of hormone -producing glands, has a negative effect on health. That is why if a person drinks before donating blood, the work of the hormonal system will be disrupted, which will be indicated in the test results. So, answering the question of whether one can drink alcohol before donating blood for hormones, the answer is no.
An example of the effect of alcohol on the hormonal system is its effect on sex hormones. Among them, the most important are two groups of hormones - androgens and estrogens. This hormone affects puberty, and various manifestations of secondary and primary sexual characteristics in men and women (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 consume alcohol continuously, impotence and infertility often develop.
alcohol and glucose
If you need to donate blood for sugar (glucose), then you should know that although it is not a hormone, it clearly indicates whether two other hormones, insulin and glucagon, produced by the pancreas, are doing their job. The fact is that glucose is the main source of energy in the body, thanks to which cells can grow and develop.
Pancreatic hormones, as well as the adrenal and pituitary glands, regulate and maintain normal blood glucose levels. For example, the job of insulin is to deliver glucose to every cell in the body. Its work is particularly important for brain activity, as it does not store glucose, but relies entirely on the supply of this substance by the blood.
Alcohol interferes with the activity of all these glands, because glucose metabolism slows down, and its levels are below normal. But there is also a leap in a big direction. For example, in chronic alcoholics, on the other hand, the level of glucose in the blood increases, which leads to a decrease in the susceptibility of receptors to insulin.
In any case, sugar deviation from the norm is a worrying sign. That’s why if a person donates blood for sugar after drinking alcohol, the doctor may suspect he or she has diabetes.
When is it allowed to take
Thus, it is clear that alcohol, which has a negative effect on the work of many organs and systems, is the reason that blood tests give negative results, causing doctors to sound the alarm. How long it takes the body to function depends on:
- how long has elapsed since the last dose was taken;
- how much the person drank;
- How much does he drink in general?
If it is a glass of wine, you can donate blood for general analysis in a day. If you need to pass a biochemical or other analysis that requires more thorough preparation, it is allowed to come to the analysis after three days. In case of taking serious doses of alcohol, it is necessary to withstand a longer period before taking the test. To get the most accurate data, it is better to wait two weeks.