The effect of cimetidine treatment on ethanol formation in the human stomach

Ethanol concentrations were determined in the gastric juice of 53 patients treated with a nasogastric tube. Significant ethanol concentrations ranging from 1 to 27 mmol/l were found in a subgroup of 29 patients receiving cimetidine (n = 22) or antacids (n = 7). The mean ethanol concentration in these patients was higher 1-2 h after a liquid meal (means +/- SEM, 6.95 +/- 2.6) than in the fasting state (3.44 +/- 2.1; p less than 0.05). In the second subgroup of 24 patients, who were not treated with cimetidine or antacids, ethanol concentrations in gastric juice of more than 1 mmol/l were found in 6 cases, with maximal ethanol values of 2.2 mmol/l. The alcohol concentration correlated significantly with the pH of the gastric juice. It is assumed that an increase in the yeast and/or bacterial population in the stomach due to the reduction of gastric acidity induced by cimetidine or antacids is responsible for the enhanced production of ethanol.