Man discovers his gut naturally brews beer after being stopped for drink driving

The man's syndrome caused drunken-like incidents without touching any alcohol. Photo / Getty Images

A man was stopped by cops and ordered to take a breathalyser test after driving erratically - later it was discovered his own gut fermented carbs into booze, Daily Star reports.

The man from North Carolina was taken to a nearby hospital after he refused to take the breathalyser test. After taking a blood test his blood-alcohol level was found to be high enough to cause double vision and slurred speech.

The 46-year-old had a long history of depression and fuzzy thinking which had caused him to lose his construction job.

According to a report, his yeast producing condition started after taking a course of antibiotics in 2011 for a thumb injury.

He was repeatedly hospitalised after drunken-like incidents such as falling over causing a bleed within the skull despite not touching a drink.

Eventually, after much confusion from doctors, a stool sample revealed Saccharomyces cerevisiae also known as brewer's yeast.

The man's gut produced yeast after years of working in mold-contaminated houses. Photo / Getty Images

Despite his diagnosis of the auto-brewery syndrome and following a low-carb diet the man was still affected by drunken-like symptoms.

The man struggled to get his life back on track so he contacted Richmond University Medical Center in New York for help.

"His construction company was involved in restoring hurricane-damaged houses, many of which had mould contamination," Dr Fahad Malik wrote in the case study.

"To investigate this patient's condition further, we collected gastrointestinal secretions using upper and lower endoscopy to detect fungi."

Anti-fungal medication helped to remove the brewer's yeast from the man's stomach.

"Approximately 1.5 years later [May 2019] he remains asymptomatic and has resumed his previous lifestyle, including eating a normal diet while still checking his breath alcohol levels sporadically," Malik revealed.

Due to the successful overcoming of his condition, the man has been able to tackle his depression and get a job.

"He was extremely happy when he started to recover, because, for years, no one believed him," Malik told the New Scientist.

"The police, doctors, nurses and even his family told him he wasn't telling the truth, that he must be a closet-drinker."

"Now he is off antidepressants, he's back at work and he's finally getting on with his life."