(PCM) A New York woman was recently charged with a DUI when she blew over four times the legal alcohol limit when stopped by police, however the entire case was ultimately dismissed after it was revealed that the woman suffers from a condition known as “auto-brewery syndrome”. As it turns out, medically speaking, the woman’s body brews its’ own alcohol.
The disorder is sometimes also referred to as gut-fermentation syndrome and it is extremely rare. It occurs when abnormal amounts of gastrointestinal yeast convert common food carbohydrates into ethanol. The process is thought to take place in the small bowel, and is vastly different from the normal gut fermentation in the large bowel that gives our bodies energy.
When taken to the hospital by police the woman wasn’t showing any symptoms at all that matched her blood alcohol content, so immediately questions were raised and the doctor ordered further tests which confirmed that the woman did indeed suffer from the disorder. The woman’s lawyer was in touch with about 30 other people who suffer from the same condition. Those individuals can function at alcohol levels such as 0.30 and 0.40 when the average person would be comatose or dying. Part of the mystery of this syndrome is how these people can have extremely high levels and still be walking around and talking and going about normal everyday life.
They do not even begin to exhibit any symptoms of being intoxicated until their bodies reach levels of about 0.30 or 0.40 and even then are only slightly wobbly on their feet. Their bodies appear to take on the abilities of a functioning alcoholic where the body is able to adapt itself to high levels of alcohol being present.
While this woman’s case was ultimately dismissed due to her medical condition, it looks like the D.A. does plan to appeal. Currently, the woman is working on treatment for her condition by using anti-fungal medications and consuming a yeast-free diet with no sugar, alcohol and extremely low carbs.
