Texas man brews beer in his belly due to rare medical condition

CARTHAGE, TX (KTRK) -- Have you ever felt intoxicated without consuming any alcohol? It's a mysterious ailment, but researchers in Texas believe they've figured it out and found a cure.

An East Texas man was a test case, and he gives a whole new meaning to the term "beer belly."

For five years, the man felt symptoms of being drunk. Some doctors thought he was a closet drinker, but a research team at Panola College in Carthage decided to dig a little deeper -- into the man's gut.

They discovered a rare medical condition called "Auto-Brewery Syndrome," also known as "Gut Fermentation Syndrome."

In a nutshell, his stomach was brewing beer.

Experts found that a yeast infection in the intestines can cause fermentation and make people feel intoxicated. Results also revealed that a specific combination of glucose and a high-carbohydrate diet increased a patient's blood alcohol level well above the legal limit of .08.

"He was dizzy and feeling unusual," Dr. Barbara Cordell, nursing school dean at Panola, told KLTV in Tyler. "His wife is actually a nurse. She was suspicious that he smelled like alcohol and seemed like he was drunk and intoxicated. So he said he hadn't been drinking; she believed him, I believed him. So, we really tried to figure out what was going on with him."

So what was the cure?

The doctor prescribed an anti-yeast medication, which reportedly cleared the problem right up.

CNN contributed to this story.

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