# If Alcohol is a Diuretic Why Does it Make You Bloated and Puffy?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-alcohol-is-a-diuretic-why-does-it-make-you-bloated-and-puffy/335762>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 15, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-alcohol-is-a-diuretic-why-does-it-make-you-bloated-and-puffy/335762 "2005-12-15T18:30:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-alcohol-is-a-diuretic-why-does-it-make-you-bloated-and-puffy/335762/1 "2005-12-15T18:30:47Z")

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Why is it that the day after a few too many, despite being dry as the Sahara I look puffy and not wizened?

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**Author:** ![Scupper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Scupper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scupper)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-alcohol-is-a-diuretic-why-does-it-make-you-bloated-and-puffy/335762/2 "2005-12-15T20:49:13Z")

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This is a WAG, but I know a number of people who are mildly allergic to alcohol and get a sort of rash on their faces when they drink. Could the puffiness be a similar symptom?

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**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-alcohol-is-a-diuretic-why-does-it-make-you-bloated-and-puffy/335762/3 "2005-12-15T22:46:04Z")

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> [@Scupper](#):
>
> This is a WAG, but I know a number of people who are mildly allergic to alcohol and get a sort of rash on their faces when they drink. Could the puffiness be a similar symptom?

Are most of these friends Chinese or Korean? Many Chinese and Korean people have the mild allergy that causes the redness of face.

Naturally, they are pretty drunk by the time it happens and don’t really care.

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**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-alcohol-is-a-diuretic-why-does-it-make-you-bloated-and-puffy/335762/4 "2005-12-15T23:10:20Z")

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> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> Are most of these friends Chinese or Korean? Many Chinese and Korean people have the mild allergy that causes the redness of face.
> 
> Naturally, they are pretty drunk by the time it happens and don’t really care.

It’s not really an allergy, which is when the immune system goes to DEFCON-2 over something innocuous. Many East Asian people lack a liver enzyme that helps break down alcohol into nontoxic byproducts, and thus don’t react well to drinking it.

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**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-alcohol-is-a-diuretic-why-does-it-make-you-bloated-and-puffy/335762/5 "2005-12-16T12:22:38Z")

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It maybe a matter of timescales. Drink 2 litres of beer - it is mainly water and so will start off making you puffy. It will take 2 hours or more for your kidneys to get the excess water out of your bloodstream, and depuffify you.

It is also a dilatant, so increasing the blood flow to your extremities, making you puffy and red for this reason as well.