Drinking beer is a favorite American pastime, although excessive consumption can harm your liver and lead to edema, or swelling, in your lower legs and abdomen. Even light beer consumption can cause allergic reactions in some people or relax blood vessels enough that blood and lymph fluid pool around your ankles and feet. If you experience swelling in your feet after drinking beer or alcoholic beverages, consult with your doctor immediately as it may be a symptom of liver damage.
Liver Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a chronic condition where liver cells harden and die causing your liver to shrink, scar and not function properly. Cirrhosis often starts slowly and you may not even know that you have the condition. If not diagnosed and treated in its early stages, liver cirrhosis can lead to liver failure, coma and death. Cirrhosis can be caused by heart disease and infections, such as hepatitis B or C, but the most common cause is drinking too much alcohol, especially liquor and beer. Alcoholic beverages break-down into ethanol in your body which is toxic to all tissue, especially so to your liver because it filters and accumulates toxins from your bloodstream.
Swelling from Cirrhosis
A common sign of liver cirrhosis is abdominal enlargement and edema, or swelling, of your lower legs, ankles and feet. This would be a chronic condition that may get a little worse after drinking a few beers, and may get better after many days without beer, but the swelling would never completely subside because of the permanent liver damage. Cirrhosis causes other signs and symptoms such as loss of appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, fatigue, reduced cognition, itchy skin, spider veins and bruising, and in advanced stages jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and eyes. Liver damage can be diagnosed from a blood test from your doctor.
Swelling from Allergy
If you have none of the symptoms of cirrhosis and only get swollen feet immediately after drinking beer, then you might have an allergy to the alcohol or yeast that beer is made from. Some peoples, such as Native American Indians and the Japanese, do not produce all the enzymes needed to metabolize alcohol properly, which can make them "drunk" and sick quicker. Allergic reactions can include diffuse swelling, including the lower legs, because of your body's massive release of histamine. Other areas that would swell include your face, lips and throat. If you are allergic to yeast instead, try drinking wine coolers and see if you notice any differences.
Swelling From Vasodilation
Drinking any form of alcohol causes vasodilation, or relaxation, of your blood vessels. This effect is why many people get red in the face and neck when they drink. Although the small blood vessels immediately beneath your skin are most susceptible, arteries in your feet and lower legs could be affected too. When the arteries relax they enlarge, allowing too much blood and lymph to pool in your feet making it difficult for your body to pump it back to your heart. As well, most people sit and relax while drinking beer, so your leg muscles are not able to provide any pumping action to remove the edema from your feet.
References
- "Professional Guide to Diseases: Ninth Edition"; Springhouse Publishing; 2009
- "Textbook of Medical Physiology -- Tenth Edition"; Arthur C. Guyton et al; 2000
- "Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related Care"; Sylvia Escott-Stump; 2008
- "Biochemical, Physiological and Molecular Aspects of Human Nutrition"; Martha Stipanuk; 2006
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