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The city of Bruges is known for its beer breweries. The accused man also worked at a brewery.
Foto: barmalini / Shutterstock
Now the man is freed from drunk driving because he suffers from an unusual diagnosis that causes the body to produce alcohol itself.
Photo: Monika Gruszewicz / Shutterstock
It was on Monday that the man, who also works at a brewery, was acquitted after being accused of drunk driving.
The reason he was acquitted was that, according to the lawyer, he suffers from a condition called auto-brewery system (ABS) which roughly translates to self-brewing. It is a very unusual diagnosis which means that bacteria or fungi in the gastrointestinal tract cause carbohydrates to ferment and turn into alcohol.
Three independent doctors are said to have confirmed the man’s diagnosis.
This is ABS
writes, with reference to Belgian media, that the judge in the sentence emphasizes that the man did not experience intoxication. Lisa Florin, a clinical biologist at Belgium’s AZ Sint-Lucas hospital, told the news agency that the alcohol produced by people with ABS is the same type found in alcoholic beverages – but that they usually don’t feel the alcohol’s effects in the same way.
According to a study published in Cureus: Journal of Medical Science in October 2020, ABS is usually preceded by the consumption of carbohydrate-rich meals or the use of antibiotics, which can disturb the intestine. The condition is also associated with underlying diseases, and has been shown in patients who have, for example, diabetes, cirrhosis, Crohn’s disease and short bowel syndrome.
