An upstate New York woman facing Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) charges was exonerated due to her being diagnosed with a rare condition known as Auto-Brewery Syndrome. The serious charges were dropped because the condition causes people's digestive system to turn food into alcohol.
Attorney Joseph Marusak presented evidence from a doctor that his client suffered from the rare condition. He explained that he had never heard of the medical condition until handling his client's case.
However, Marusak knew that something was wrong when the hospital that the police took the New York woman to released her immediately. She showed no symptoms of being drunk.
The New York woman had been taken to the hospital because the alcohol level was a sign that her health's status could be life-threatening, according to ImmortalNews. Her husband asked the hospital to run more tests because she had only had four alcoholic drinks over six hours.
When the woman had taken a breathalyzer test hours after having her last drink, her alcohol level was over four times the state's legal limit. However, after her attorney explained her condition to state authorities, the drunk driving charges were dropped.
The condition causes substances in the sufferer's stomach to turn food into ethanol, which results in blood alcohol levels to spike. It can even produce the smell of alcohol on the person's breath, according to Northern Californian.
Dr. Richard Peek is a professor of medicine and cancer biology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He explained that a high number of candida fungi turns high-carb meals into ethanol.
Peek recommends that people with Auto-Brewery Syndrome cut back on carbs. Another option is to take anti-fungal medicines to lower the number of candida.
The New York woman's case was dropped due to the extra tests requested by her husband. However, the district attorney's office plans to appeal the ruling.