精簡版於2018年10月12日晴報刊登
有些人會有注意力缺陷-多動障礙 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD。他們做事三心兩意、心不在焉;又會過度活躍、坐立不安。小朋友出現這些症狀會被標籤為頑皮不聽話,亦影響了他們的社交和學習能力的發展。
ADHD 的成因很多,引起這些症候的其中一個罕有的原因是『自動釀酒綜合症』或稱為『腸道醱酵綜合症』(下稱「自醸症」)。這種病的患者腸道中會自動產生酒精:食用碳水化合物如澱粉和糖等,會經由腸道的微生物自動醱酵成酒精。腸道酒精的濃度可令病者去到醉酒的程度。醫學界至今有不少自釀症個案紀錄。
我們平常喝的酒靠肝臟中的兩個酶, 乙醇脫氫酶alcohol dehydrogenase和乙醛脫氫酶acetaldehyde dehydrogenase處理降解,以至不令我們中毒亦即酒醉。很多亞洲人的肝臟處理酒精的其中一個酶乙醛脫氫酶活性不足,令到小量酒精也可以引起中毒,令患者醉醺醺。
引起自釀症的主因是腸道微生物失調,患者腸道中細菌減少, 而有很多酵母菌。酵母菌把醣醱酵產生酒精,如果再加上肝臓處理酒精能力不足,患者食用碳水化合物就會酒醉。自釀症亦會引起小腸滲透問題,造成維他命B、鋅和鎂缺乏。
自釀症病情可透過抗真菌藥和低碳水化合物飲食來控制。預防自釀症,保持腸道微生物組健康相當重要。
參考資料/延伸閱讀:
<益生第一關>2018/08/17--『啤酒都可以飲得健康?』
https://hskgene.com/blogs/probiolife-first/beer
Google Images: 自動釀酒綜合症Auto-BrewerySyndrome
Easy Reading:
Auto-Brewery Syndrome Symptoms and Treatment - Verywell Mind
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-auto-brewery-syndrome-22478?print
Man Gets Drunk without Drinking | Discovery Life | YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAsiPRypLyg
為什麼有的人吃點薯片都能醉? - BBC 英伦网 - BBC.com
https://www.bbc.com/ukchina/trad/vert_fut/2015/10/151005_vert_fut_the-man-who-gets-drunk-on-chips
學術論文:
Cordell, B. and McCarthy, J., 2013. A case study of gut fermentation syndrome (auto-brewery) with Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the causative organism. International Journal of Clinical Medicine, 4(07), p.309.
https://file.scirp.org/pdf/IJCM_2013070411021392.pdf
Painter, K. and Whitten, R.A., 2018. Auto-brewery Syndrome (Gut Fermentation). In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513346/
Guo, X., Zhang, W., Huang, R., Ma, J., Liu, Z., Hu, D., Chen, J., Sun, Y. and Liu, W., 2018. Case Report The case study of one patient with gut fermentation Syndrome: case report and review of the literature. Int J ClinExp Med, 11(4), pp.4324-4329.
http://www.ijcem.com/files/ijcem0061289.pdf
Greetings, Chui Hing Wa!
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A very interesting and good article. As a teacher,I have forwarded to my students. They can learn how to apply textbook knowledge to explaining daily phenomenon. Thanks a lot.