Gut bacteria can produce alcohol, reveals new study
Turns out, some gut bacteria can actually make alcohol inside your body—a discovery highlighted in a new study on auto-brewery syndrome (ABS).
ABS is a rare condition where people get drunk without drinking, thanks to their gut microbes.
Researchers compared ABS patients with their partners and healthy folks to see what's going on in the gut.
What the study found
During symptom flare-ups, ABS patients' gut bacteria produced way more ethanol than others. After antibiotics, this dropped back down.
The main culprits? Bacteria like E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae that have genes for making alcohol.
Why it matters
The researchers also noticed higher acetate levels matched up with spikes in blood alcohol during flares—helping explain why these episodes happen.
These insights could lead to stool tests that confirm ABS and help avoid the stigma of being misjudged for secret drinking.
Possible fix: Microbiome therapy
One patient who got a fecal transplant after antibiotics stayed symptom-free for over 16 months.
This hints that targeting gut bacteria could be a real treatment option for ABS in the future.