Belgian man whose body makes its own alcohol charged two times on drunk-driving cleared

 Auto-brewery syndrome, characterised by the endogenous production of alcohol, manifests symptoms akin to alcohol intoxication, including impaired coordination...

Digital Desk: A Belgian man, whose body naturally produces alcohol due to a rare metabolic condition, faced two drunk driving charges but was ultimately released. The court in Belgium dismissed the case against the 40-year-old after his attorney elucidated the auto-brewery syndrome, which causes his body to generate alcohol internally.

Auto-brewery syndrome, characterised by the endogenous production of alcohol, manifests symptoms akin to alcohol intoxication, including impaired coordination, slurred speech, digestive issues, and confusion, as detailed by the National Library of Medicine.

Initially fined by police in 2019 and later apprehended again in April 2022 with a breath analyzer registering 0.91mg of alcohol per litre—well exceeding the legal limit of 0.22 mg per litre—the man's case prompted his discovery of the condition, as reported by AFP.

The man's attorney, Anse Ghesquiere, told Reuters that it was "another unfortunate coincidence" that her client works at a brewery, but three separate medical professionals who evaluated him independently determined he had auto-brewing syndrome.

According to Belgian media, the judge stressed in the decision that the defendant—who remained anonymous per local court protocol—did not exhibit signs of intoxication.

According to the Independent, “Lisa Florin, clinical biologist with Belgian hospital AZ Sint-Lucas, explained that people with the condition produce the same type of alcohol as that in alcoholic drinks but that they generally feel less of its effects.”