Teetotalers might think their liver is safe from the damage effects of alcohol consumption , but newfangled research is hinting that even non - imbiber and swooning drinkers might have cause for concern . It turn out a case of intestine bacterium is adequate to of produce intoxicant — and enough of it to potentially make some pretty serious wellness consequences , include liver disease .
Astudyled by Jing Yuan at the Capital Institute of Pediatrics in Beijing , China and published in the journalCell Metabolismoffers details . After pass judgment a patient with auto - brewery syndrome ( ABS ) , a rarefied condition brought on by consumption and zymolysis of sugary solid food that leaves a soul with gamey blood alcohol levels , researcher made an intriguing uncovering . Rather than finding fermenting barm that may have led to the circumstance , the affected role ’s stool containedKlebsiella pneumonia , a common bowel bacterium adequate to of produce intoxicant . In this subject , K. pneumoniawas produce significantly more alcohol than in healthy patients .
The patient role also had nonalcoholic fatty liver disease ( NAFLD ) , characterized by fat person deposit in the liver . While many cases of NAFLD are relatively benignant , too much fat can become toxic . examine 43 other study with NAFLD , scientist find that thatK. pneumoniawas both present and stiff , pump out more alcohol than normal in 60 percent of participant with NAFLD . In the control radical , a surplus was found in only 6.25 percent .
To further observe a correlation , scientist feast the bacteria to goodly , germ - free mice , who begin to see an increase in fatty tissue in their livers after only one month . While not conclusive test copy that the bacterium prompts NAFLD , it will likely trigger additional research in world .
It ’s not yet known howK. pneumoniaacts in concert with the bacterial visibility of the gut or what might make someone impart stronger strains of the bacterium . Luckily , K. pneumoniacan be treated with antibiotic . That ’s good news for people who might never touch a deglutition and still find themselves with a damaged liver .
[ h / tLive Science ]
