A recently released study proves that this condition is both real and serious
It may sound like the world’s worst excuse for being caught driving under the influence (DUI): “Officer, I swear I wasn’t drinking — my body just makes its own alcohol!” As impossible as it may seem, auto-brewery syndrome (sometimes referred to as gut fermentation syndrome) is a very real condition. For a person who suffers from it, the risks can be quite serious — including the possibility of getting charged with a DUI.
Researchers at Richmond University Medical Center in New York recently published a study in the BMJ Open Gastroenterology journal about auto-brewery syndrome. They profiled a 46 year old man who had been arrested for a DUI, even though he swore that he had not been drinking. His blood alcohol content (BAC) was 0.2, which was more than twice the legal limit for operating a car in his state. After his arrest, his aunt remembered hearing about a similar situation and convinced him to go to Ohio for treatment.
In Ohio, doctors gave the man a carbohydrate-heavy meal — and no alcohol. Despite not drinking any alcohol, his blood alcohol rose to 0.57 after eating carbohydrates. He was ordered to not eat any carbohydrates and went home again. He soon suffered flare ups, which caused him to fall and suffer a brain bleed — and his local doctors did not believe that he hadn’t been drinking.
The study’s authors put him on an anti fungal treatment that stopped his symptoms until he resumed his normal diet. Once he began eating carbohydrates, he relapsed. Doctors eventually found the right combination of drugs that allowed him to eat normally, with him checking his BAC regularly. Researchers believe that his auto-brewery syndrome may have started in 2011 after he took antibiotics for a traumatic thumb injury.
According to a DUI lawyer Santa Ana, auto-brewery syndrome is a dangerous medical condition that can cause a number of medical complications, including alcohol poisoning. It also presents a significant danger of people driving under the influence unknowingly. Doctors believe that it is caused by antibiotics that alter a person’s fungal growth, but may also be caused by environmental toxins or preservatives in food that disrupt the body’s normal balance of bacteria.
Auto-brewery syndrome is one of several possible medical causes of an elevated BAC in a person who has not been drinking. If you have been charged with a California DUI, you need an experienced DUI lawyer Santa Ana, CA who understands the various conditions that may cause you to have a high BAC even without consuming alcohol. A skilled attorney will gather the facts of your case, including your medical history, to put together the strongest possible argument to have the charge reduced or dismissed.
At the Chambers Law Firm, we are dedicated to helping people who have been charged with California DUI offenses. We will fight for you to protect your rights and your freedom. Contact us today at 714-760-4088 or dchambers@clfca.com to schedule a free initial consultation with a DUI lawyer Santa Ana, CA.
