Can brewers yeast can raise your blood alcohol level?

Answer 1

Possibly. An overgrowth in the body of this yeast would raise blood alcohol levels, and possibly enough to cause drunkenness. However, usually, ingesting brewers yeast as a nutritional supplement will not result in this particular yeast overgrowing in the body. Overgrowth of brewers yeast could could occur though if someone is already quite ill, or has been taking a lot of antibiotics recently.

Be aware that brewers yeast isn't the only yeast that produces alcohol in the body. Certain other yeast will also produce alcohol. However, most yeast mainly produce acetaldehyde, which is the first breakdown product of alcohol. An overgrowth of yeast that produced acetaldehyde would make it more difficult for the body to eliminate ingested alcohol. Some people with this problem may thus notice that they get drunk on only a tiny amount of alcohol.

Use the link below to a report entitled Bladder Beer -- A new Clinical Observation by John H. Mulholland. It is about the presence and smell of alcohol in the urine, breath and bowel of people with yeast overgrowth.

Here is an interesting quote from that scientific report:

"the Japanese report the "auto-brewery syndrome" in which they have seen middle aged patients with bowel abnormalities, most often surgery, who have yeast in the GI tract and who ferment ingested carbohydrate, producing enough alcohol to result in drunkenness."