Posted on 09/19/2013 5:06:43 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
When a 61-year-old Texas man came into an emergency room claiming he was dizzy and was found to have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.37 percent, doctors assumed he was drunk.
Despite the fact the man claimed he hadn't consumed alcohol that day, most doctors still thought he was a "closet drinker," NPR reported.
It turned out that those medical professionals were wrong: the man had "auto-brewery syndrome." His stomach contained so much yeast that he was making his own in-house brew, literally.
Before he was diagnosed with the syndrome, the patient's wife -- who was a nurse -- was so concerned with her husband's constantly drunk condition that she had him regularly tested with a Breathalyzer. He would record numbers as high as 0.33 to 0.4 percent, considerably higher than the U.S. legal driving limit of 0.08 percent.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Awesome. Look to see folks downing yeast to get the same effect.
I don’t drink but I’m thinking about eating some mushrooms and I have ripe apples pears and peaches here in the yard.
My ex woulda loved to have had this excuse
Think of the money this guy can save!
Old court story.
A man was brought in as a drunk. At his trial, his defense attorney gave him some soda crackers which he ate during the beginning of the trial.
After about ten minutes or so, he was thoroughly drunk.
The yeast in the crackers and the sodium bicarbonate had fermented in his stomach.
Case dismissed.
I’ve read about another case of this.
It would be nightmarish. I can barely take a couple of sips of alcohol without feeling it; having such high blood alcohol levels so often (with the accompanying hangover) would be horrendous. I’m glad the guy’s condition was diagnosed and he could be treated.
Whoever thought that good old S. cerevisiae could be a pathogen? I used to use it in experiments in graduate school.
Beer. It’s what’s for breakfast.
I’d hate to be in that condition. Having a raging buzz without even getting to enjoy the taste...
vetvetdoug — I surmise that name means you are both a military vet and a veterinarian?
And fortunately for brewing companies, the condition is rare.
This happens to birds too.
They will eat lots of wild grapes that are slightly over ripe and the grapes then ferment in the gastric track. The birds get so drunk they can’t stand.
Unfortunately, snakes are not affected by alcohol and don’t mind eating drunken birds
How do I get this disease?
It does seem marketable.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.