Caught for drunk-driving, man learns his stomach generates beer

Tribune Web Desk 
Chandigarh, October 25 

After being pulled over by cops for drinking and driving, a man learns that his body has a fungus, which converts all the carbohydrates into alcohol. Yes, his stomach can generate beer. The rare disease is called: Auto-brewery syndrome (ABS).

The 46-year-old man, who belonged to North Carolina, denied consuming alcohol, and refused to take a breathalyser test. He was then taken to a hospital. 

His breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol level was 200mg/dL—which is equivalent to drinking 10 alcoholic beverages, according to The Sun. 

The man told the staff that over the past three years, he had been experiencing uncharacteristic personality changes, including depression, "brain fog", memory loss and aggressive behaviour.

The man stated that the problems started a week after completing a course of antibiotics for a thumb injury. 

"The hospital personnel and police refused to believe him when he repeatedly denied alcohol ingestion," said researchers from Richmond University Medical Center in New York, who shared his case in BMJ Open Gastroenterology. 

Most of his tests were normal, however, his stool sample showed the presence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae—also known as brewer’s yeast. 

The fungus is well-known in the drinks industry as it helps ferment carbohydrates and produces alcohol.

Doctors began to suspect he may have a bizarre condition known as auto-brewery syndrome (ABS), also known as gut fermentation syndrome.

The rarely diagnosed condition is caused when ingested carbohydrates are converted to alcohol by fungi in the gastrointestinal tract.

The disease is so rare that only 5 people have been diagnosed with it in the last 30 years.