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Exclusive | I never drink but still get drunk — even a cookie crumb puts me over the legal limit

Nypost · · 990 words · By Rachel Sacks
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What to know about Exclusive

I never drink but still get drunk — even a cookie crumb puts me over the legal limit Mark Mongiardo can get drunk really easily — and it’s not because he’s a lightweight.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

I never drink but still get drunk — even a cookie crumb puts me over the legal limit Mark Mongiardo can get drunk really easily — and it’s not because he’s a lightweight.

Why it matters

In fact, the 43-year-old dad gave up alcohol entirely in 2018, but he can still get buzzed, tipsy and even fully inebriated without a sip of booze.

Common ground

And while that might seem like it makes for a cheap night out on the town, Mongiardo actually suffers from an extremely rare health condition that’s led to some real difficulties — including two DWI charges.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/22/health/i-never-drink-but-still-get-drunk-due-to-a-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “There are fewer than 100 documented cases of the condition.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources explicitly state there are fewer than 100 documented cases of the condition.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There are many $100 banknotes, bills or coins, including: Australian one-hundred-dollar note Canadian one-hundred-dollar note New Zealand one hundred-dollar note Nicaraguan one-hundred-cordoba note U…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/$100
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 100% may refer to: 1 (number), the equivalent to 100%
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100%
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “It happens when yeast — which lives in the gut naturally — overgrows. That yeast then ferments the sugar and carbs a person eats, essentially turning the bread or cake into alcohol inside their stomach.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and medical-focused web results, confirm the condition is caused by gut yeast/bacteria fermenting carbohydrates into alcohol.
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web search NEUTRAL — Auto-brewery Syndrome (ABS), or drunkenness disease, is caused by the overgrowth of certain fungi or bacteria in the gut that ferment carbohydrates into alcohol. Common causes include
https://www.medicoverhospitals.in/diseases/auto-brewery-synd…
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web search NEUTRAL — Auto-brewery syndrome is an extremely rare and underdiagnosed medical condition characterized by the fermentation of ingested carbohydrates in the gastrointestinal tract caused by bacteria or fungi.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-brewery_syndrome
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web search NEUTRAL — Causes of Auto Brewery Syndrome. Several organisms alter the microbiome in those with ABS, leading to cravings for sugary foods to support their fermentation and their alcohol-producing metabolism.
https://myacare.com/blog/living-with-auto-brewery-syndrome-t…
help
Claim 3: “Those who have diabetes, liver disease, abnormal contractions in their intestines, inflammatory bowel disease or even healthy people on antibiotics are at greater risk for the condition.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found for this claim.
info
Claim 4: “He performed a glucose challenge test typically used to screen for gestational diabetes in pregnant women.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided explains what a glucose test is and its use for diabetes, but does not mention its application in diagnosing auto-brewery syndrome.
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web search NEUTRAL — Glucose is a sugar with the molecular formula C 6 H 12 O 6. It is the most abundant monosaccharide, [4] a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is made from water and carbon dioxide during photosynthesis b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose
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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 27, 2024 · Glucose, or blood sugar, is key to keeping the body in top shape. Read on to learn how it works, how to test it, and what to do if you have atypical levels.
https://www.healthline.com/health/glucose
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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 5, 2025 · What is a blood glucose test? A blood glucose test mainly screens for diabetes by measuring the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/12363-bloo…
verified
Claim 5: “Mongiardo... led to two DWI charges in six months in New York State”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results regarding the Gospel of Mark and lists of people named Daniel; no evidence regarding Mongiardo's DWI charges was found in the provided text.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Following is a list of people with the given name Daniel:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_given_name…
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web search NEUTRAL — Mark 1:40 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark+1&version=…
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web search NEUTRAL — Read the Book of Mark online. Scripture chapters verses with full summary, commentary meaning, and concordances for Bible study.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/mark/
+ 1 more evidence source
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Claim 6: “Mark Mongiardo has auto-brewery syndrome (ABS)”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that Mark Mongiardo was diagnosed with auto-brewery syndrome.
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web search NEUTRAL — After being diagnosed with auto-brewery syndrome, Mark Mongiardo felt some relief. Still, he mourned all that he lost because of the rare condition.
https://www.aol.com/rare-condition-where-body-makes-21235499…
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web search NEUTRAL — Auto-brewery syndrome appears to be caused by multiple factors. In the Nature Microbiology study, stool samples from Auto-brewery patients were compared with samples from the patients’ unaffected hous…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/well/autobrewery-syndrome…
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web search NEUTRAL — He felt surprised because he hadn’t had any alcoholic beverages and wouldn’t risk his career by imbibing at work. Over the years, the teacher and basketball coach often heard he smelled like alcohol. …
https://www.today.com/health/disease/man-shares-auto-brewery…
info
Claim 7: “A 50-year-old Canadian woman was also diagnosed in 2024.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general mathematical facts about the number 50 and does not mention a Canadian woman diagnosed in 2024.
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web search NEUTRAL — 50 (fifty) is the natural number following 49 and preceding 51. Fifty is the smallest number that is the sum of two non-zero square numbers in two distinct ways. [1] 50 is an unsigned Stirling number …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_(number)
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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 22, 2026 · Discover the rich symbolism of the number 50, a powerful emblem of balance, achievement, and transformation. Explore its historical, cultural, and spiritual significance—from ancient cy…
https://deepsymbol.com/the-symbolism-of-number-50/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Fifty is a whole number. It comes right after 49 and just before 51. It's an even number, which means you can divide it by 2 without any remainder. Fifty has some interesting math properties. Its main…
https://kids.kiddle.co/50_(number)
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Claim 8: “Dr. Prasanna Wickremesinghe, a gastroenterologist at Richmond University Medical Center on Staten Island who is one of the leading researchers of the condition.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm Dr. Prasanna Wickremesinghe is a gastroenterologist at Richmond University Medical Center on Staten Island who treats/researches this condition.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a partial listing of prominent political families in Sri Lanka.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_families_in_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa (born 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the sixth president of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahinda_Rajapaksa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Vasudeva Nanayakkara (Sinhala: වාසුදේව නානායක්කාර; Tamil: வாசுதேவ நாணயக்கார) (born 3 January 1939) is a Sri Lankan left-wing politician, Member of Parliament and presidential candidate in the 1982 and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasudeva_Nanayakkara
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 9: “this syndrome, which hasbeen described in medical literature since the 1940s.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the condition is described in Wikipedia and other sources, the specific claim that it has been described since the 1940s is only supported by one specific mention in the Reframe App result (which mentions a 1948 case), but not corroborated by multiple independent sources as a general medical timeline fact in the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Auto-brewery syndrome (ABS) (also known as gut fermentation syndrome or endogenous ethanol fermentation) is an extremely rare and underdiagnosed medical condition characterized by the fermentation of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-brewery_syndrome
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3CH2OH. It is an alcohol, with its formula also written as C2…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Substance use disorder (SUD) is the persistent use of drugs despite substantial harm and adverse consequences to self and others. Related terms include substance use problems and problematic drug or …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_use_disorder
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.