Problem With Digestive Enzymes

[steve-o]

I've read that several people here have benefited by taking a digestive enzyme, so I recently decided to give them a try. I took the Vitacost brand - NSI Vegetarian Digestive Enzymes.

I took one capsule as I started eating dinner. Shortly after dinner, I started getting some serious reflux and heartburn (I hadn't had reflux problems since going gluten-free). I even had a couple of Verp's...never fun! (for those who haven't had the pleasure of experiencing a Verp...this is a combination of vomit and a burp. You burp and get a tiny bit of vomit in your mouth)

I though maybe it just took some getting used to, so I took another enzyme pill the next night at dinner...and had the same results. So I decided to stop taking the enzyme. This was about 4 days ago.

Since then, for the past 4 days, I've had ongoing heartburn and reflux, along with a feeling of being full all the time. I feel very bloated, and it's tough to eat because I feel like I'm already full before I even start to eat. When I do eat, the reflux gets worse, and I usually have a verp or two.

So I'm just wondering if anybody else has experienced this, or if you all might have some idea why I'm getting this reaction? Seems like enzymes help these symptoms in other people...so why are they giving me these symptoms?

The enzyme I used is free of gluten, yeast, soy. Here are the ingredients:

Protease 82,000 HUT

Amylase 8,000 SKB

Lipase 90 FIP

Cellulase 600 CU

Malt Diastase 215 DP

Invertase 525 Sumner

Lactase 1,000 ALU

Pectinase 55 ENDO-PG

Alpha Galactosidase 300 GAL

[Guest nini]

I don't know why you are getting that reaction unless the malt in it does contain gluten and the company is not aware of that.

I use a product by Market America that comes in a powder form and you mix it with a small amount of water and drink it. I have never had any adverse effects from it. It's called Isotonix

[Guest nini]

Isotonix Digestive Enzyme Formula with Probiotics

do a Froogle or Google search on this and you can find it... My puter won't let me copy and paste for some odd reason.

[Misa]

Hi Steve

I used to take alot of enzymes pre-glutenfree and this was ok. But since going gluten-free and now having a healthier colon which can "tell me" when I'm doing something wrong, I'm actually feeling a touch of colon pain with the supplements so now I only take one with a high protein meal. I did some research and remembered I came across this site explaining why some with celiac disease get bad reactions from digestive enzymes. The protease breaks down food particles which normally is a very good thing, but with celiac disease these very small particles cause even greater irritation to the celiac disease inflammed colon. Hope it can give you an answer:

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Misa

[KaitiUSA]

I'm assuming you made sure they were gluten free before taking them.

I had trouble with the first brand I took...it felt like I had heartburn or something so I switched brands. I like the brand I am on now. I also take probiotics and like them. Listen to your body though...if it does not like those enzymes then do not take them.

Also, I was told you have to take an enzyme AFTER your first bite of food or you can get feeling sick

[Merika]

Hi,

I think we celiacs are just super-sensitive. The one you tried had a lot of ingredients, possibly all beneficial enzymes, but it may be just too much for your body right now.

I've had great luck with the first one I tried (Standard Process Inc.'s Cholacol - go online to find someone who sells it). I had terrible luck with 3 other of their gluten-free products I tried. Another celiac I know went through several enzymes with sort-of ok results, and now is one the same one I take.

Merika

[Martyg]

I have been taking digestive enzymes for years, even before I was diagnosed. The best ones that I have taken are from my chiropractor. They are Loomis enzymes that were developed by Dr. Loomis. They can only be purchased from doctors, chiropractor's, etc., who have attended the courses and have decided to carry the items.

They have helped me a great deal. I tried several others before finding what worked for me.

It seems that your body is not being helped by these particular ones that you have purchased. I hope that you are able to find something that will bring you relief. Starting out with lower doses may also help.

Marty

[skbird]

I wanted to make an alternate suggestion. I have no luck with enzymes, either. I have recently learned, however, that I am sensitive and probably allergic to a mold called aspergillus. Many enzymes are made from this mold. Also, many foods are as well. Your symptoms are mine exactly when I have any amount of this mold.

Some foods to suspect are:

PRODUCTS OF ASPERGILLUS FERMENTATION:

SOY SAUCE

CHOCOLATE

TEA (BLACK)

MALT EXTRACT (MOST CEREALS)

LACTAID (MILK ADDITIVE)

SOME VITAMINS - SOLGAR AND JARROW brands ARE SAFE; MOST ARE NOT

CITRIC ACID (A VERY COMMON FOOD ADDITIVE; NOT DERIVED FROM CITRUS FRUIT)

SOFT DRINKS (Citric acid is made with the aspergillus fermentation process)

FRUIT JUICE (COMMERCIAL-OFTEN MADE FROM MOLDY FRUIT; MANY CONTAIN MOLD ENZYMES ADDED IN PROCESSING)

DIGESTIVE ENZYMES (PANCREATIC ARE ALRIGHT), OTHERS ARE NOT

CHOLESTEROL LOWERING ENZYMES

ACIDOPHILUS WITH F.O.S. (Acidophilus has very healing effects and promotes natural anti-fungals in the body, however, artificially produced F.O.S. is made with the aspergillus fermentation process.  If you would like natural F.O.S., you can consume watermelon seeds and reap the same nutritional benefits without any aspergillus fermentation).

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I can tell you that from the above list, I do react to citric acid, black tea (can drink it once, but a second cup or two days in a row, heartburn and headache start), and wheat free tamari or any fermented soy sauce, miso, Pepsi (has citric acid, Coke doesn't/didn't), and my dad had an allergic reaction to his cholesterol lowering statin which was derrived from aspergillus.

I also had the same reaction after eating some raspberries that had a little mold on them. The #1 mold on fruit and veggies (and leaves in the fall) is aspergillus.

Additionally, the only time I've ever had hives in my life was after using Betadine several days in a row. I was told it didn't make any sense I was having a problem. Since then though I've looked - Betadine contains citric acid.

More about how Citric Acid is formed:

Production

In this production technique, which is still the major industrial route to citric acid used today, cultures of Aspergillus niger are fed on sucrose to produce citric acid. After the mold is filtered out of the resulting solution, citric acid is isolated by precipitating it with lime (calcium hydroxide) to yield calcium citrate salt, from which citric acid is regenerated by treatment with sulfuric acid.

Alternatively, citric acid is sometimes isolated from the fermentation broth by extraction with a hydrocarbon solution of the organic base trilaurylamine, followed by re-extraction from the organic solution by water.

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Here's a thread in another forum about citric acid.

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Here's a list of enzymes derrived from aspergillus (not brands..)

Alpha-galactosidase ----- Aspergillus niger

Amylase ----- Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus niger

Amylase ---- (Malt diastase) malt

Amyloglucosidase ---- Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus oryzae

Beta-amylase ---- wheat, Bacillus spp.

Catalase --- Aspergillus niger

Cellulase --- Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma longibrachiatum (reesei)

Glucose oxidase ---- Aspergillus niger

Hemicellulase ---- Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma longibrachiatum (reesei), Aspergillus oryzae, Bacillus subtilis

Lactase ---- Aspergillus oryzae, Kluveromyces lactis

Lipase ---- Aspergillus niger, Arthrobacter ureafaciens, Candida cylindracea, Rhizomucor miehei, Rhizopus oryzae, Rhizopus delemar

Lysophospholipase ---- Aspergillus niger

Pectinase ---- Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus japonicus, Rhizopus oryzae

Phytase ---- Aspergillus niger

Protease, microbial ---- spergillus oryzae, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus melleus, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus thermoproteolyticus, Rhizopus niveus

* As provided by member companies of the Enzyme Technical Association.

revision 1/99

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I hope this helps you.

Stephanie

[skbird]

Oh, here are a couple of more items - Beano and Lactaid are both made from aspergillus. So if you have more problems with those than without, likely it's the aspergillus problem...

Stephanie

[Merika]

Stephanie,

Wow! Good info. How did you find out you were allergic to this mold?

Also, that reminds me, some probiotics are grown on substances (wheat?) that are not suitable for celiacs.

Merika

[skbird]

Hey Merika -

Well, I always have had an aversion to citric acid in products but I didn't get started on it until someone on another forum mentioned it could be fermented with wheat. Then I found the organism. I forgot about it until my dad had the allergic reaction and I looked it up, to see if it was related to penecillin (I know he has that allergy) but found aspergillus instead. Suddenly something went off in my head, because I remembered the name. Then I found out about its use in fermented soy sauce - I had posted before about San J wheat free tamari still causing my gi problems, thought it had to be a gluten thing, but no. I also get nearly immediate reactions to the sprays many restaurants use on their lettuce, they all have citric acid in them. Outback does, for example, and before I'm done with dinner I have gas, heartburn, and a little later migraines.

I just found the bit with the black tea - I have commented on this for years now, but no one I know has a problem with it. It really gets to me. But not green or white tea. So I knew it was something in the fermenting, just didn't know it was aspergillus. Anyway, lots of dots came together, and now I hope it helps someone else!

One of these days when I have some extra $$$ I'll get allergy tested. But I don't need an official confirmation, I know it makes me feel bad!

Stephanie