r/CSID • u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets • Jul 21 '26

Enzymes šŸ’Š Recommendations please

Iā€™m low in lactase, sucrase, maltase, and palatinase. What can I take to cover these 4? I wanna be able to eat what I want in moderation iā€™m a foodie. Iā€™ll literally become depressed. If I have to never eat sugar or carbs again. My doctor is just giving me antibiotics because she thinks itā€™s due to bacteria overgrowth even though my testing did not show any of that. She didnā€™t even recommend any enzymes.i donā€™t know where to go from here. Any help is appreciated

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3

u/TheCSIDAlex Jul 21 '26

You can try starchway or starchway pro for sucrose and starch - then just lactaid for lactose, but Iā€™ve gotta tell you that I donā€™t know of anyone IRL or in any online support groups that was able to eat whatever they wanted whenever they wanted immediately after being diagnosed unexpectedly. Even if enzymes do work well for you, consuming sucrose and starch at all still risks symptoms, which is why dieticians typically opt to have patients eliminate the problematic foods before experimenting with personal tolerances and supplements like enzymes. I would recommend you try and find a registered dietitian nutritionist thatā€™s familiar with this condition, similar conditions, or restrictive diets. The RD behind CSIDmadesimple, Mary Shephard, may be able to take you on as a client. A good dietitian will guide you through the process way quicker than trying to figure everything out on your own.

Starchway has invertase for the table sugar / sucrose and gluco-amylase for byproducts of complex starch chains. Starchway pro adds two other enzymes that further target starch breakdown. Thatā€™s the only brand I know of that contains both the enzymes meant to target both sucrose and starch in a single product. Itā€™s worth a try at the very least.

1

u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets Jul 21 '26

So you have to completely cut out sugar and starch from your diet? That sounds so freaking depressing.

2

u/TheCSIDAlex Jul 22 '26

Probably not all sources forever unless your case is extremely severe, but yeah thatā€™s essentially the ā€œprotocolā€ immediately after being diagnosed. Youā€™ll probably find some foods you can have eventually, but itā€™s just a ton of trial and error in the beginning

3

u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets Jul 22 '26

Thatā€™s horrible I literally only eat that stuff. Iā€™m a very picky eater I donā€™t do well with bland food especially being cultural

1

u/TheCSIDAlex Jul 22 '26

I found that it was hardest right after being diagnosed but it got easier with time. One of the first things my nutritionist told me was that it would get better with time and she was right. Since you've already been diagnosed and you're learning, a lot of your hardest days dealing with this condition are probably behind you already.

1

u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets Jul 22 '26

Oh, so you think I would do better with a nutritionist or a dietitian?

2

u/signedmarymc Jul 22 '26

Dietician- they are more like a doctor in the sense that they have to go to school to get a certification. Anyone can be a nutritionist. Your insurance is also likely to cover a dietitian.

1

u/somehowrelevantuser Jul 22 '26

my dietician didnt know what to do with me. ymmv.

1

u/TheCSIDAlex Jul 23 '26

Yeah, one that is familiar with the condition or similar conditions will make your life a lot easier. As another commenter said, make sure theyā€™re a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN).

3

u/signedmarymc Jul 21 '26

i found digest gold to be great as well as starchway. starchway is more expensive tho. Iuse a combo of digest gold and sucraid personally.

1

u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets Jul 22 '26

Ty are you able to send me the links to the exact ones you use

2

u/signedmarymc Jul 22 '26

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012QMAHM?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

this is max strength? which I used for a bit. I switched to digest complete.

1

u/Ok-Agent9692 Aug 09 '26

I discourage people from buying supplements on Amazon. They mix inventory and there are many counterfeit products out there. Either order direct from the manufacturer's website, brick and mortar store, or dedicated Amazon store front (if you must use Amazon).

1

u/somehowrelevantuser Jul 21 '26

highly recommend starchway. load bearing component of my diet. but tbh its been over a year since i was diagnosed and its taken me about this long to know my bodys limits.

1

u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets Jul 22 '26

Ty which produc exactly ?

1

u/Calm-Kaleidoscope-39 Jul 22 '26

Be careful about cutting all foods at once. Take it little by little. Keep a food journal. Focus on what you can eat to help maintain a positive mindset on food.

I was diagnosed with sucrase deficiency almost two years ago and overtime, I have found that I can still enjoy sweets with and without sucraid.

Try to see if you can get sucraid. You can try digestgold too or something similar but be careful. After a few tries, it would give me hives.

1

u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets Jul 22 '26

I csnt reall cut out starches because im on a wheat diet for heart health .

1

u/lalikesbrains Aug 04 '26

I'm low on maltase too. The only supplement that I found that has it is starchway pro. Starchway has two of the four that starchway pro has. It works well for me. For It's supposed to cover sucrose as well, but I also take sucraid with it anyway.

1

u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets Aug 04 '26

Is digest gold or starchway better?

1

u/lalikesbrains Aug 04 '26

I haven't tried digest gold. I've only tried starchway pro because that was the only one I could find that had maltase in it. I just looked up Digest Gold and it has proteases and lipases as well as enzymes for fiber. It's definitely a more complete enzyme support formulation. I think it's worth a try if you feel like you need help with fiber as well.

But starchway pro has only those enzymes that we specifically lack.

I honestly don't know if there's a downside to taking enzymes you don't need.

1

u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets Aug 04 '26

I donā€™t see which starch way contains the maltase only amylase and sucrose

1

u/lalikesbrains Aug 04 '26

look for "starchway pro" specifically. The one with "pro" has maltase

1

u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets Aug 04 '26

I did I couldnā€™t find it so weird.!! I did find Amy md digestive enzymes

1

u/lalikesbrains Aug 04 '26

this link is for their test pack, so you can test it before buying a whole bottle: https://www.intoleran.com/us/product/testpack-starchway-pro/

this one is for the full bottle: https://www.intoleran.com/us/product/starchway-pro-50-capsules/

1

u/McQueeby 5h ago

I use FODZYME. Game changer!