Auto-Brewery Syndrome is quite a rare disease, where a person gets intoxicated, without ingesting alcohol. The alcohol is produced within his/her digestive system, through endogenous fermentation in the gastrointestinal system. It is also known as gut fermentation syndrome.
A person need not consume alcohol to get intoxicated, the body can produce alcohol by itself, through regular food intakes that undergoes gut fermentation.
We all know that alcohol is formed through fermentation, where the yeast and bacteria reacts with the sugar, forming ethanol. The chemical ethanol is used in alcoholic beverages. Similarly, a person produces alcohol through regular foods like carbohydrates, fermenting the yeast and bacteria present inside his/her intestine.
Although it is a rare disease, it has been observed in both children and adults producing more amounts of yeast.
The common reasons for this disease to be triggered are Crohn’s disease and liver problems, making it hard to clear off the alcohol produced faster.
The symptoms of this disease are:
- Unexplained hangovers
- Changes in bowel movements
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Unable to concentrate
- Makes you feel too drunk even for a small amount of alcohol intake
How is it diagnosed?
Your doctor may take a sample of your stool and test it to find the presence of yeast in your gut, or make you take a glucose capsule and check your blood alcohol level after an hour.
How is it treated?
- Avoid alcohol, carbohydrates and sugar.
- Eat fiber rich foods like brown rice, vegetables, dry fruits, oats, etc.
- Antibiotics and antifungal therapy have been found to be the most effective ways to eradicate this syndrome.
The lack of knowledge of this disease has been hard for the patients to recognize what they are dealing with, making it difficult to seek treatment.
Sambav brings into light the uncommon diseases a person may have, and makes an attempt to educate its readers, and understand the symptoms and treatments that’s to be taken into consideration. Check out the Sambav’s Health Wallet App for more incredible features!
