It's that time of year again ...holiday parties, family dinners, goody baskets sent to the office...as much as we love all the fine food and goodies, it can be pretty hard on the digestive system. For those who are gluten intolerant, it can be a downright nightmare. The most common treatment for gluten intolerance or celiac disease is a gluten-free diet...not easy to follow at any time, but almost impossible during the holiday season. Avoiding gluten is quite challenging. It's not just giving up cereal, bread, pasta, crackers, cakes (except for Chelsea Clinton's wedding cake), pies and cookies. Gluten is a common food additive, often used in small amounts to increase protein content inexpensively, as well as to enhance taste and texture in food processing. It can show up in unexpected places (may be used as a stabilizing agent in foods such as catsup and ice cream). Digestive enzyme supplements can help, but for gluten sensitivity or intolerance, it takes a specific combination of enzymes. Some enzymes are irreversibly inactivated by pepsin and acidic pH, both of which are present in the stomach. As a consequence, these enzymes will fail to degrade gluten before it reaches the small intestine, the site where gluten induces inflammatory T cell responses.
DPP IV Enzyme Activity Breaks Down Gluten
Digestion of certain proteins found in gluten, casein (a protein in dairy products), soy and possibly other foods requires an enzyme activity known as DPP IV (dipeptidyl peptidase IV) which needs to be present along with at least two other general types of protease.
BioCore® DPP IV from National Enzyme Company is a proprietary protease formulation that provides DPP IV activity standardized at 5000 units/g. Biocore® OPP IV also provides protease at 300,000 HUT/g and amino- glupeptidase at 85 units per gram. The proteases used in this formulation are stable in the acidic environment of the stomach. Recommended dosage for DPP IV is 100 mg. In nature, gluten proteins are attached to starch (carbohydrate). For complete gluten breakdown, amylase for carbohydrate digestion is required in addition to DPP IV. The goal is to break up the large gluten molecules into much smaller pieces before they leave the stomach.
Digestive enzymes have been used very successfully for gluten intolerance, allowing some patients to completely eliminate the gluten-free diet. Others use enzymes only occasionally when they eat foods that contain gluten, such as at special gatherings or as an occasional treat. Both celiac and non-celiac patients find that adding enzymes improves the success of their diet, increases the range of foods they can eat and improves their quality of life. Supplemental enzymes provide a great safety net to catch unknown or unavoidable sources of gluten. Enzymes also help facilitate healing the intestinal tissue to improve nutrient absorption.
Some enzyme products are designed specifically for gluten and casein digestion. Combining these enzymes with broad-spectrum enzymes (amylase, lipase, cellulase) to aid digestion of other foods tends to be most effective for dealing with gluten sensitivity. Lactase is particularly important since many patients who are gluten intolerant are also lactose intolerant Alpha galatosidase may also be helpful for breaking down polysaccharides (primarily raffinose, stacchiose, and melibiose). These polysaccharides, typically found in legumes, are not digestible in the small intestine. When broken down by bacteria in the large intestines they can cause gas and bloating.
Maltase, normally produced in the intestines, is another enzyme that may be lacking in gluten sensitive patients. If the intestinal lining has been injured ...due to an inflammatory response to gluten or for any other reason ...it can no longer produce digestive enzymes.
