I have a rare condition that causes my body to produce BEER
A former school teacher’s life was nearly destroyed by a rare condition he suffered from which caused his body to produce alcohol.
Mark Mongiardo, 40, of Florida, suffers from auto-brewery syndrome, a condition in which microbes in his gut convert sugar into alcohol. It gets him drunk, even if he hasn’t been drinking.
The diagnosis came only after he lost his entire career and home and had to move in with his wife’s family. She even started to suspect him of sneaking beer when no one was around.
But Mr. Mongiardo had already been dragged over the coals by bosses who accused him of “smell of alcohol” at school. In 2019, when he was arrested twice in six months for ‘driving under the influence’ despite the fact that he had not touched alcohol.
To cope with his condition today, Mongiardo says he has to take 30 tablets a day and lives on a low-carb diet without pasta and pizza — hard for an Italian American. He says he always takes a breathalyzer test before driving.
Mark Mongiardo, 40, of Florida, was diagnosed with an auto brew disease, in which his body produces its own alcohol that allowed him to get drunk even when he wasn’t drinking
The former sports teacher was dragged over the coals by bosses for years before two drunk driving charges in six months led him to lose his job. The felony charges meant that even the Aldi supermarket wouldn’t give him a job, causing him to lose his home and job and have to move in with the in-laws
Mr. Mongiardo now takes 30 pills a day and follows a low-carb diet to prevent his body from producing more alcohol. He is pictured above with his children and wife, who have not been named
‘For years, [my wife] thought I was hiding the drinking and that I would come home every day and actually be drunk,” he shared TODAY.
“I had symptoms of drunkenness, from slurred speech to balance problems. And this even happened at social events where I hadn’t been drinking.”
Mr. Mongiardo began teaching sports at a New Jersey school in 2005, but was soon dragged before the principal after parents said he “smelled like alcohol.”
Throughout his teaching career, and particularly between 2012 and 2016, he was repeatedly called out for principle over these claims — even though he wouldn’t dream of touching alcohol around children.
In 2018, he switched roles and became athletic director.
Three weeks after starting work, he was stopped by the police and put on breath. They charged him with drunk driving after going over the legal limit.
Mr Mongiardo insisted he hadn’t been drinking and his boss at the time said they were ‘willing to move past it’ because they were so satisfied with his work.
Six months later, when he was apprehended and rebreathed by the police, they had to let him go.
Then I lost everything. I lost everything anyone could lose,” he said ABC7.
‘I had to sell my house, I had to sell my car. I couldn’t get a teaching job, I couldn’t get a supermarket job. I had pending felony charges. You know, I risked a prison sentence of two DWIs when I hadn’t been drinking.”
Due to pending felony charges, he couldn’t even get a job at the Aldi supermarket stacking shelves.
At this point, his mother suggested he see a doctor, pointing out that internet searches suggested it was possible he could have a condition where his body was “making” alcohol.
Auto-brewery syndrome is caused by an imbalance in the gut microbiota, which can be caused by a poor diet or antibiotics, among other things.
It leads to a dominance of yeast and other microorganisms in the gut that convert sugar into alcohol, rather than just energy.
This alcohol can then be absorbed into the bloodstream, making a person “drunk” even if they haven’t been drinking.
There are no solid estimates for how many Americans have the condition, but more than 60 cases have been described in the medical literature.
Mr. Mongiardo went to the Staten Island gastroenterologist, Dr. Prasanna Wickremesinghe, who specializes in the condition.
Mr. Mongiardo is pictured above with his wife and two children. The family has now moved to Florida
They did a test that tested the patient’s blood alcohol level before and about an hour after he drank a sugary drink.
The results showed that, despite not having any alcohol, his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) had risen to 0.14 units of alcohol per 100 ml of blood.
A level above 0.5 is legal proof that you have a disability.
Describing the moment, Mr Mongiardo said: ‘Within the first hour I was at 0.14.
‘Once I saw that, [the doctor] just shook his head. He said, “You definitely have auto-brewery syndrome. Your BAC level went through the roof.”
‘We were crying. Honestly, it was so emotional.’
After being diagnosed in May 2019, the father decided to quit teaching and work in real estate in New York before returning to Florida after the pandemic.
He now works at Target in the state where his wife and children also moved.
To control the condition of his body, he takes pills and follows a low-carb diet in which pizza and pasta have been phased out.
He always does a breathalyzer test before taking the kids anywhere.
The felony charges were also dropped after police took too long to bring them to justice.
“I come from an Italian-American family. I haven’t eaten pasta or pizza or anything like that since I was diagnosed in May 2019.
‘In the beginning it was extremely challenging.’