Enzymedica Digest Gold And Glutenease - Has Anyone Had Cross Contamination Type Reactions?

[carolynmay]

Dear all,

I am really desperate for feedback from anyone who has tried using Enzymedica's Digest Gold and Glutenease.

I am a super sensitive celiac without doubt, reacting to tiny traces.

I have had a re-emergence of symptoms after six years on a gluten free diet, and am not sure what is going on.

However, what I have found is that Digest Gold taken with Glutenease dramatically improve my digestive issues, reducing bathroom trips from 6 - 8 per day to just 1 - 2 - which is so nice.

HOWEVER, they are also giving me terrible joint pains and a flickering eyelid, which I normally associate with cross contamination.

And on speaking to the company, although the labels state "contains no gluten", they cannot tell me to what level they test, or what levels have been found, which leads me to think that actually, they are not testing them. And these products are dervied from aspergillus niger which is grown on grains etc, so it is presumably very possible that traces of the substrate on which the aspergillus is fed could also make their way into the final product.

So sorry for the long background bit. Can I ask if anyone else has tried Digest Gold and / or Glutenease, and whether you had any issues with this as well? I just don't know what to do for the best.

Thank you so much for your responses.

Best wishes, Carolyn

[Gemini]

Hi Carolyn,

I use Digest Gold everyday and they are gluten free. I am a very sensitive Celiac but have had no problems with these at all.

I know other Celiacs who use Digest Gold without issue also. I highly doubt they have cc issues because I use them up to 2 times per day and am doing well with them. I would be sick if there were a problem with the product.

Hope you can figure it all out....it can be so frustrating.

[Michelle1234]

I take them both regularly to avoid gluten cc from restaurant meals. To my knowledge I have never reacted to the enzymes and they have dramatically reduced gluten cc reactions for me. You may want to try a different brand of digestive enzymes and see if you have the same reaction.

Good luck finding out the problem.

[carolynmay]

Thank you both very much for your responses - which are really interesting.

That is really odd then.. I wonder if it's the aspergillus per se that I am having an issue with.

It's SOOOOOOOOOOOOO frustrating as they really help my digestion but with sudden serious joint points and eye twitching (both of which stop within 2 days of stopping taking them), I have concerns as to what is going on.

Out of interest I might post on the "supplements" bit of the forum and see if anyone else has had any issues with them.

Really does start to sound like it may not be a gluten issue, although here is what another manufacturer of aspergillus derived digestive enzymes says about the testing:

"The enzymes are produced using aspergillus, and there is always the possibility of the presence of a trace of the substrate fed to the aspergillus to produce the relevant enzyme. You might find animal-source digestive enzymes more suitable for your situation."

Thanks so much again, Carolyn

[dilettantesteph]

It's SOOOOOOOOOOOOO frustrating as they really help my digestion but with sudden serious joint points and eye twitching (both of which stop within 2 days of stopping taking them), I have concerns as to what is going on.

I was going to suggest that you take it out of your diet to find out as we all have our own individual level of sensitivity. What bothers me might not bother you and what doesn't bother someone else might. It looks like you already did that. It is frustrating, but at least you figured it out.

[RiceGuy]

I had tried two different brands of gluten digestive enzyme products, and reacted to both. What I found is that one of the enzymes is maltase (also called malt diastase), which is derived from barley. That was all I needed to know. However, I do not know if all the enzyme products marketed for gluten-sensitive people contain a barley-derived enzyme.

What I find helpful is a digestive enzyme product called Digest Platinum, by NOW Foods. All the enzymes are derived from microbial sources, not plants or animals. I chose this type because microbial enzymes can withstand the acidity of the stomach, thereby are able to make it into the rest of the digestive tract intact, where they can do their job. A similar product is made by Doctor's Best, which I find effective as well. Another nice thing about these products is the wide range of enzymes they contain, so that many different types of food components are addressed. Neither makes any claim of digesting gluten specifically, and I cannot say that it will help reduce symptoms of gluten exposure.

[dws]

Dear all,

I am really desperate for feedback from anyone who has tried using Enzymedica's Digest Gold and Glutenease.

I am a super sensitive celiac without doubt, reacting to tiny traces.

I have had a re-emergence of symptoms after six years on a gluten free diet, and am not sure what is going on.

However, what I have found is that Digest Gold taken with Glutenease dramatically improve my digestive issues, reducing bathroom trips from 6 - 8 per day to just 1 - 2 - which is so nice.

HOWEVER, they are also giving me terrible joint pains and a flickering eyelid, which I normally associate with cross contamination.

And on speaking to the company, although the labels state "contains no gluten", they cannot tell me to what level they test, or what levels have been found, which leads me to think that actually, they are not testing them. And these products are dervied from aspergillus niger which is grown on grains etc, so it is presumably very possible that traces of the substrate on which the aspergillus is fed could also make their way into the final product.

So sorry for the long background bit. Can I ask if anyone else has tried Digest Gold and / or Glutenease, and whether you had any issues with this as well? I just don't know what to do for the best.

Thank you so much for your responses.

Best wishes, Carolyn

Carolyn, for some reason I get a unique kind of gut pain when I use digestive enzymes. Not sure it is a gluten reaction. It happened to me when I used Digest Gold and even when I tried Lactaid pills. I have recently been experimenting with Lactaid milk and got the same pain due to the added lactase I guess. Sorry you are having difficulties. You mentioned that problems are returning after being gluten free for 6 years. How well were you doing prior to the recent flare-up? Are you already off of all processed foods including gluten free processed foods? I had an initial period of feeling very well when I went gluten-free, only to have symptoms return after a couple of years. It's been a mixed bag since then. Been taking a lot more precautions agains cc etc. I'd be interested in hearing your story.

[carolynmay]

Carolyn, for some reason I get a unique kind of gut pain when I use digestive enzymes. Not sure it is a gluten reaction. It happened to me when I used Digest Gold and even when I tried Lactaid pills. I have recently been experimenting with Lactaid milk and got the same pain due to the added lactase I guess. Sorry you are having difficulties. You mentioned that problems are returning after being gluten free for 6 years. How well were you doing prior to the recent flare-up? Are you already off of all processed foods including gluten free processed foods? I had an initial period of feeling very well when I went gluten-free, only to have symptoms return after a couple of years. It's been a mixed bag since then. Been taking a lot more precautions agains cc etc. I'd be interested in hearing your story.

Thank you all again. I have ordered the NOW enzymes and Doctors Best ones as well to try those instead. The general issue I have is that animal-derived enzymes give me terrible heartburn for some reason - it really is so annoying.

DWS - I am similar to you in that having been gluten free for six years, things were going along quite ok. I had actually gone to fully grain-free (and also dairy free) and more or less Specific Carbohydrate Diet for about eight months, and things were quite good. A tiny piece of unpasteurised cheese seemed to really violently upset things and it has never been good since then. I also had an ankle operation with a GA and intravenous antibiotics, and that redoubled things going wrong, with the dreaded D 6 - 8 times a day since then.

The annoying thing is that Digest Gold + Glutenease gets rid of all the D issues, but these joint pains are quite severe. Although they disappear within 24 hours of stopping taking the supplements. I have tested out various things to see if it could be anything else in my diet causing the joint issues, but sadly it is quite clear that it's the digestive enzymes, in spite of them helping so much with my digestion.

Sometimes it would be so helpful to be able to ask your body what is going on wouldn't it! I don't know if it could even be a detoxing type of thing going on, which actually isn't bad, but when pain strikes severely, it's hard to think that can be good.

I'm not at all sure I'm a believer, but I also go to NAET treatments, and use muscle testing. If you believe in that at all, it seems it's the Glutenease product that's an issue rather than the Digest Gold, so I may risk taking just the DG for a couple of days to see if I get the same effect. Like I say - really not sure I'm a believer though!

Thanks all again so much for your replies.

Just one last question actually - has anyone found any safe papaya only enzymes? I thought it might just be worth trying those too.

Best wishes to all, Carolyn

[IrishHeart]

Digest Gold enzymes are safe for me. I am a sensitive type and I have never had a single problem and found them very helpful for me. Between them and the probiotics, I healed my many horrid burning GI issues much faster.

One thing I have learned however is...everyone's different. I cannot imagine how they would cause joint pain--but again, everyone is different.

As for the muscle testing while holding a food item or product, um, frankly I am highly skeptical. I can tell you a story about that if you want. My scientist husband and I tested this out. ( Just my opinion of course, you do what you wish)

If you are trying to figure out other food intolerances, elimination and reintroduction is the only way.

Here is something else....You said intravenous antibiotics started all this? Hon, I suggest PROBIOTICS to balance your gut.

That may well be the underlying cause of this recent bout of D !!

[carolynmay]

Digest Gold enzymes are safe for me. I am a sensitive type and I have never had a single problem and found them very helpful for me. Between them and the probiotics, I healed my many horrid burning GI issues much faster.

One thing I have learned however is...everyone's different. I cannot imagine how they would cause joint pain.

As for the muscle testing while holding a food item or product, um, frankly I am highly skeptical. I can tell you a story about that if you want. My scientist husband and I tested this out. ( Just my opinion of course, you do what you wish)

If you are trying to figure out other food intolerances, elimination and reintroduction is the only way.

Here is something else....You said intravenous antibiotics started all this? Hon, I suggest PROBIOTICS to balance your gut.

That may well be the underlying cause of this recent bout of D !!

Hi Irish Heart,

Thank you very much for your post, which is much appreciated.

It's interesting to hear of another sensitive coeliac who has no issues with Digest Gold. I got a reply back from Enzymedica eventually about their most recent testing and it shows gluten as being undetectable at < 2.5ppm level, so it can't be gluten.

My other query is chocolate actually - as around the same time I started to have the odd square of chocolate. Or otherwise just an intolerance to the aspergillus itself perhaps, as googling aspergillus side effects shows there can be such effects.

It would indeed be interested to hear your and your husband's tale re muscle testing - as I say, I am also very highly skeptical and only went out of curiosity really.

Out of sincere interest - which probiotics do you use and find to be ok? I am based in the UK and am currently sending off for Klaire pure acidophilus (SCD version), which seems to be going down quite well, but I am conscious that it is the bifidobacteria which are thought to be especially useful in coeliac disease - I think breve and longum in particular? I suspect myself to be intolerant to casein and soy as well as gluten.

Again, thank you so much for your response.

Best wishes,

Carolyn

[IrishHeart]

I suggest Culturelle. (OTC) My New, celiac-savvy GI doc recommended it. I had used others, but he had me use this one as it was studied/researched at Tufts Univ. here in the States:

"Lactobacillus GG (LGG) is a probiotic strain of “friendly” bacteria found in the intestines (called flora) and needed to maintain a healthy balance in the human digestive system. LGG is currently considered the “gold standard” of probiotics, having been the subject of more than 250 human clinical trials. In certain situations that are stressful on the body (especially when taking antibiotics), good bacterial flora can get depleted and must be replenished. The live LGG strain can be ingested in the form of a natural dietary supplement like Culturelle®, and some of its clinically proven health benefits include:

Assists intestinal functioning

Enhances and supports the body’s natural defenses

Helps maintain healthy intestinal flora

Helps manage the symptoms associated with occasional colic

Helps prevent symptoms associated with occasional upset stomach

Helps reduce symptoms associated with bowel and stomach discomfort

Promotes regularity"

Here--read this about probtioics and celiac guts

Open Original Shared Link

I have a feeling the antibiotics messed up the gut flora balance in you, especially since you can pinpoint when the trouble started. Just my humble opinion, of course.

Okay, when I was still unDXed and very sick for a long time, I tried everything to get well. Homeopathy does NOT cure celiac--as we know--but I did not know it was celiac at first. I was told it was a "leaky gut" and that it could be resolved with supplements. So, I spent THOUSANDS of dollars on a Naturopath and an Integrative MD and various supplements, etc. for nearly 2 years. So desperate was I, that I read about muscle testing and foods and there was an explanation of it on the internet and how to conduct your own test at home. Hubby (scientist and chemist) says "Babe, there is no way you can hold a food in your hand in a baggie and have a reaction to it! It's not possible." He humored me, however and we put various food proteins in baggies. These were foods we thought were giving me trouble: peanuts, soybeans, wheat bread, cheese, chocolate, citrus, etc. He told me to close my eyes so I had no idea which food it was. I held each food and he tested my muscle strength (now, realize-- I was very weak from illness and lost muscle mass because of the celiac) and with each food, he would tell me to resist and each time, my arm would bend back. Oh no, I thought--I have so many food intolerances!! He put the baggies that I had a "reaction to" off to one side.

When I opened my eyes, we looked at all the baggies that held the foods I must surely be intolerant of/allergic to....and there amongst them was a baggie with a small rock from our backyard.

Hubby proved his point and I went on to figure out what was slowly killing me-- gluten and celiac. I have no other food intolerances/allergies that I know of and I had extensive and expensive testing done.

Now that I am healing, I seem to tolerate foods that caused me great pain and a burning GI tract. At one point, I could not even swallow water without difficulty. It was very bad.

I DO have some trouble with dairy, but it's bloating only and I think that is just because I am still healing. I avoid soy because of the effect it has on hormones and frankly, because I do not like tofu, etc.

If you suspect casein and soy, take them out of your diet for a month and then, test ONE at a time. For a whole day, eat dairy foods and watch what happens for the next few days.

Wait 2 weeks, test soybean. Wait a few days. Delayed reactions may occur--if you are intolerant of it..

Testing a food INDIVIDUALLY , not as an ingredient IN something-- is the only way to isolate an offending food.

As for chocolate, well, some contain gluten I understand. Or you may just be reacting to the sugar content because your gut is a bit messed up from the imbalance down there? Give the probiotics a try and see if it all clears up.

Best wishes--and let me know how you make out in the coming weeks!

IH

[dilettantesteph]

it shows gluten as being undetectable at < 2.5ppm level, so it can't be gluten.

There is no guarantee that this is true for the most sensitive.

Open Original Shared Link

[IrishHeart]

There is no guarantee that this is true for the most sensitive.

Open Original Shared Link

That is an interesting report!

I did read it (when I should be wrapping gifts and trimming the tree, but I wanted to see what it said)

but fortheloveofmike!---you might have just directed us to page 44 for the point you were trying to make.

[GFinDC]

...

My other query is chocolate actually - as around the same time I started to have the odd square of chocolate. Or otherwise just an intolerance to the aspergillus itself perhaps, as googling aspergillus side effects shows there can be such effects.

...

Best wishes,

Carolyn

Hi Carolyn,

Most chocolate is sugar, cocoa, dairy, and soy. So you could react to any of those. But soy and dairy are the most likely.

[carolynmay]

Hi Carolyn,

Most chocolate is sugar, cocoa, dairy, and soy. So you could react to any of those. But soy and dairy are the most likely.

Thank you all again so much. That is a fascinating (and horrifying) report about how small an amount of gluten is damaging. Frankly it makes me think it's too dangerous to even eat things like rice, quinoa and amaranth as at least here in the UK they are termed "gluten free" if they register less than 20ppm, which is clearly still way too high. Perhaps this is simply why the Specific Carbohydrate Diet can prove effective - it just removes any possibility of cross contamination.

Thank you too Irish Heart re your thoughts on probiotics and culturelle. I am ploughing my way through the acidophilus at the moment, and that seems to be going down ok. I read somewhere that acidophilus can cause constipation - bring it on!

I will definitely try the Culturelle when that has run out though, and may also experiment with some bifidobacteria due to:

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21685/1/More-Evidence-Links-Gut-Bacteria-to-Celiac-Disease/Page1.html

Re chocolate, the only things I risk contain no dairy or soya and are supposedly made in a gluten and dairy free dedicated place. Who knows what level they test to of course though..

Thanks so much again everyone for your replies - I really appreciate it, and how knowledgeable people are.

Best wishes, Carolyn

[IrishHeart]

Thank you all again so much. That is a fascinating (and horrifying) report about how small an amount of gluten is damaging. Frankly it makes me think it's too dangerous to even eat things like rice, quinoa and amaranth as at least here in the UK they are termed "gluten free" if they register less than 20ppm, which is clearly still way too high. Perhaps this is simply why the Specific Carbohydrate Diet can prove effective - it just removes any possibility of cross contamination.

Thank you too Irish Heart re your thoughts on probiotics and culturelle. I am ploughing my way through the acidophilus at the moment, and that seems to be going down ok. I read somewhere that acidophilus can cause constipation - bring it on!

I will definitely try the Culturelle when that has run out though, and may also experiment with some bifidobacteria due to:

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21685/1/More-Evidence-Links-Gut-Bacteria-to-Celiac-Disease/Page1.html

Re chocolate, the only things I risk contain no dairy or soya and are supposedly made in a gluten and dairy free dedicated place. Who knows what level they test to of course though..

Thanks so much again everyone for your replies - I really appreciate it, and how knowledgeable people are.

Best wishes, Carolyn

It is widely debated --especially among those of us who are sensitive to low levels of gluten--about how much gluten is "too much". The best researchers have found that under <20 ppm is considered "safe" but clearly, people report continuing symptoms from foods labeled "gluten free". The best approach for those people is to steer clear of any packaged, processed foods.

I personally avoid them for the most part, but not because I am fearful of trace gluten per se, rather they just do not appeal to me taste-wise. They often contain soy, which is a known goitrogen and hormone disruptor.

What's a celiac to do? Well, we try to keep our diets as clean as possible

and if something makes you feel lousy, well, the answer is so simple :DON'T EAT IT Figuring out what is causing it takes a bit of detective work, but it can be done.

I honestly feel your gut flora is imbalanced because you told us about the antibiotics and that you have not felt right since.

Give the probiotics a chance. Also, I do not know why acidophilus would be constipating??-it is an effective digestive aid and gut healer, but it is only one of many found in the GI tract.

The main reason I suggested the Culturelle is because it is a blend of appropriate good bacteria, not just the one.

Hope you feel better soon. Let us know how you do!