Belgian man whose body makes its own alcohol cleared of drink-driving
The man suffers from condition called auto-brewery syndrome
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A court in Belgium acquitted a man in a drink-driving case on Monday after his lawyer explained how a rare metabolic condition causes his client’s body to produce alcohol.
The case against the 40-year-old man was dismissed after he proved to the court that he suffers from a condition called auto-brewery syndrome.
Characterised by the endogenous production of alcohol, the condition typically presents with the signs of alcohol intoxication like staggering gait, slurred speech, gastrointestinal distress, and a state of confusion, according to the National Library of Medicine.
The man was first fined by police in 2019 and pulled up again in April 2022 after a breath analyser returned a reading of 0.91mg of alcohol per litre, way past the legal limit of 0.22 mg per litre, reported AFP.
It was after his latest run-in with police that he learnt of his condition, according to the news agency.
Anse Ghesquiere, the man’s lawyer, told Reuters that in "another unfortunate coincidence" her client works at a brewery, but three doctors who independently examined him confirmed he suffered from auto-brewery syndrome.
Belgian media said that the judge emphasised in the verdict that the defendant, who was not named in line with local judicial custom, did not experience symptoms of intoxication.
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.
She added that people are not born with auto-brewery syndrome but can get it if they suffer from some other intestine-related condition.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments