Quite often, modern citizens think whether it is possible to drink alcohol before giving blood. After all, the further course of treatment of a person depends on the results of the analyzes. The doctor should get the most reliable result of the study. Otherwise, you will either have to repeat the analysis, or undergo a course of improper treatment. To properly donate blood for research, you need to prepare well. But how exactly? And is it possible to drink alcohol before that? How much alcohol will be excreted from the body? The answers to all these questions (and not only) we will consider in detail below. In fact, the implementation of ideas into reality takes a minimum of time and effort. And preparing for the right test is not difficult.
The effect of alcohol on the body
Blood donation is an extremely important process. Often, the appointment of the correct course of treatment for a person depends on this study. By blood, you can determine the bulk of the disease. So, the doctor should get the most accurate results of the study.
Can I drink alcohol before giving blood? To answer this question, you will have to understand how alcohol drinks affect the human body.
Any type of alcohol contains a substance called ethanol. When it enters the body, the start of certain chemical processes begins. Those, in turn, have an effect on the state of a person as a whole.
Can I drink alcohol before donating blood? It is worth noting that ethanol has the following effects on the body:
- increases lactate levels;
- increases the concentration of uric acid;
- increases triacylglycerides;
- lowers sugar levels.
Accordingly, all this can lead to a distortion of the obtained research results. The doctor will most likely direct a second blood test.
Bans or lack thereof?
So can I drink alcohol before donating blood? Theoretically, yes. But it will only have to be taken into account that in this case the obtained results of the analysis of biological material will be unreliable. There are no official prohibitions in this regard. Nevertheless, to get the most accurate result before the procedure, you will have to refuse alcohol. Any person will be informed about this by a doctor.
This is far from the only limitation. The thing is that many factors influence the results of a blood test. Therefore, a restriction in alcohol is just one of the rules. Next, we will consider how to properly prepare for blood donation for analysis.
Alcohol withdrawal
But first, a few words about how much alcohol comes out of the blood. Every person should know about this.
In general, the exact time is difficult to determine. Various factors influence the rate of elimination of alcohol from the blood. For instance:
- gender;
- age of a person;
- type of alcohol;
- general state of health;
- patient weight;
- volume of drink.
In healthy people, alcohol is excreted faster. Men are more likely to cope with alcohol intoxication than women. You can see the approximate time for the removal of ethanol from the body. What indicators to focus on? How much alcohol is released from the blood? The following numbers will help answer:
- vodka - 4.5 hours;
- beer - 40 minutes;
- red wine / champagne - 1.5 hours;
- cognac - 5 hours;
- port - 3 hours.
This is the time for removing 100 g of the drink from the male body weighing 80 kilograms. It is worth remembering that these are only approximate values. And in order not to think about whether it is possible to drink alcohol before blood donation, it is better to refrain from drinking such drinks altogether.
Categorical bans
But that is not all. There are a number of cases in which the use of alcohol before blood sampling is strictly prohibited. What can be attributed here? The following studies:
- for HIV;
- for hepatitis (B, C);
- for syphilis;
- on calcium;
- blood phosphorus analysis;
- on magnesium;
- on triglycerides;
- analysis of insulin, cortisol, androstenedione;
- on parathyroid hormone;
- on aldosterone.
Drinking alcohol before donating blood, as already mentioned, is not recommended. In these cases, you will have to abandon alcohol long before the research.
Sugar test
Is it possible to drink alcohol before blood donation if a sugar test is planned? As already mentioned, ethanol can lower glucose levels. But alcohol can increase blood sugar. Accordingly, a few days before the study will have to abandon any alcohol-containing drinks. And from similar products, too.
No limits
Blood donation after alcohol is far from always prohibited. In some cases, the patient is not told anything about special preparation for a particular study. For example, this is possible in the following cases:
- before the public transport driver enters the route;
- when tested for ethanol in the blood.
As a rule, if you want to check a person for alcohol intoxication, there can be no question of any special training for analysis. In laboratories, ethanol is intentionally detected in humans.
How much to refuse?
Many people wonder how much they will have to limit themselves in alcohol before blood sampling. To answer this question is not so difficult.
Doctors recommend giving up alcohol about 2-3 days before the biological material is delivered. Better in a week. The longer the patient restrains himself, the more accurate the result will be.
General preparation
And how is the preparation for blood donation? This process requires special attention. It is important, for example, for donors. Blood donation without special preparation will lead to incorrect analyzes. Sometimes, because of this, people are forbidden to become donors, if they detect alcohol in the blood - for sure.
To get the most accurate research results, you must:
- give up alcohol in 2-3 days;
- do not smoke for at least a day;
- do not eat sweet, salty, spicy, fatty, fried foods;
- do not overwork;
- avoid stressful situations.
This is the preparation for blood donation. In addition, a person will have to abandon the use of medicines at least a day before the study. And, as a rule, the aforementioned biological material is taken on an empty stomach - a person should not eat or drink for about 8 hours. Otherwise, the results may be distorted.
Another nuance is the delivery of blood at rest. In other words, before the patient will be taken biological material for research, he will have to rest. Having come to the laboratory, it is advisable for a person to sit quietly for about 10-15 minutes.
Donor Tips
Next, we’ll look at some helpful tips for blood donors. Can I drink alcohol before putting biological material in? Not. And smoking is also prohibited. What other restrictions and advice do donors face? In general, they will resemble the principles studied earlier. Blood donors will have to:
- 48 hours before the delivery of the biomaterial do not drink alcohol;
- do not smoke at least an hour before the donation;
- eat balanced;
- get enough sleep before the procedures;
- it is easy to have breakfast in the morning (donate blood not on an empty stomach);
- come to the delivery of biomaterial in a healthy condition;
- drink up to 2 glasses of sweet tea before blood sampling.
- refuse medication 3 days before the process.
By remembering all these rules, a blood donor will be able to prevent harm to his health. Indeed, the surrender of this biological material requires special attention. This is a responsible matter that has a serious, albeit temporary, effect on the human body.
Conclusion
We found out what they eat before donating blood. And how to prepare for the collection of this biomaterial. We also talked about the topic of alcohol before analysis.
In fact, everything is much simpler than it might seem at first glance. Doctors recommend that you refrain from drinking alcohol before any tests. The exception is studies on the content of ethanol in the blood. Only in this way will it be possible to achieve the most correct results. Small restrictions bring a lot of benefits to patients.