Known supplaments to help the gut and abosrbtion??
 

I'm looking at the possibility that I have a gut abortion problem however I guess I'm not deficient enough to raise a red flag. That is IF I'm deficient. :confused:

Question,

Does anyone know the known supplements that will help with gut issues?

Also does say methy b12 have to pass through the small intestines to get into the blood?

Yes, B12 has to be absorbed. If it is not hooked up to intrinsic factor, is has to be given in high dose and passively absorbed instead. That is why you should take it on an empty stomach, so food does not sponge it up and reduce this absorption.

Malabsorption can occur if you have Crohn's disease, removed intestines, or Celiac.

The only substance that I know that enhances absorption is Bioperine, and that is still pretty unresearched.

L-Glutamine is one thing the GI tract needs to stay healthy. If you are very low in this amino acid things suffer. It is recommended for Celiacs too. Having enough EFAs (Omega-3s) in the diet or thru supplements also enhance the lining of the GI tract to stay healthy. If you have infections or Candida of the GI tract you may have trouble.
This is one example:
http://www.thegreenpharmacy.com/Cata...er-360-gms.htm
There is a downside to excess glutamine--- it can lead to too much glutamate in the body.
http://mental-health.emedtv.com/glut...e-effects.html
Most high end whey powders have extra glutamine added.
That is one of the better ways to get it, along with the other amino acids in the whey.

One way you can test yourself to see if you are absorbing things, is to take a B-50 complex and time its appearance in your urine. High B intake changes the urine's color and odor. Most people excrete B's within 4 hrs or so. You can also take an OTC drug phenazopyridine, sold for bladder pain in most feminine hygiene departments. 99mg and time when it appears in your urine. AZO standard is one brand, but there are many.

My stomach is still upset and I haven't taken my vitamins at all today. I've been trying to think back and I have always had loose stools. But then again sometimes I would get really constipated so I didn't make any connection. My wife would always buged me about it and would say it was the amount of diet soda I was drinking in a day. (2, 64oune mugs):eek: But now that I have been off soda for 3 months I still have loose stools and an upset stomach most of the time. Now I've been telling myself that it's all the new supplements I'm on so I'm going to go off them for a few days to see if it settles down. If not then I'm thinking I've had an absorption problem for many years and I just thought it was pretty normal. I would tell myself that since my blood test were coming back normal I was ok but there could be some damage going on here.

I'm not going to stop the b12 though. I take it about 4am and then I don't eat until 8:30am to give it the best chance.

I'm going to take a b complex right now, it's 12 noon. It will be a good test because I just eat lunch. But I have an upset stomach so I bet it's through me in 2 hours or less. I probably need to get my stomach under control and do the test. But what the heck lest see. Thanks

If you are having a chronic upset stomach.... you need to look at food intolerances and infections, including Crohn's disease.

Also, there are people (like me) who cannot tolerate fructose.
Once I eliminated this from my food intake, my life really changed. If you have had problems with apple juice, that would be a big clue...since it is very high in fructose.

Some food borne illness also causes problems. Giardia can be picked up in a restaurant or from a child who goes to day care, or from camping.

Gluten especially can cause problems...chronic problems.

Lactose intolerance can come with age as well. Do you know your blood type? I am a B and typically B's don't have lactose intolerance but with AGE...it can appear. I use only Lactaid milk now with calcium, and also take Lactase enzyme tablets when I cannot control my intake on vacation or at restaurants of if I have ice cream (which I typically avoid now).
But O's typically have common lactose intolerances.

Some people with temporary looseness can benefit from psyllium fiber (metamucil)...this absorbs toxins in the bowel and can regulate you. It is worth a try. It worked for me many years ago when I had a "problem" and went to a GI specialist.
It is easy and worth trying.

My blood type is A positive. I'm almost positive I'm not lactose intolerant. But I don't know about gluten. I'm going to get the stool sample done. I would get all the blood test done but can't afford it right now.
1- Gliadin Antibody IgG
2- Gliadin Antibody IgA
3- tTG-IgA or tissue transglutaminase-IgA
4- Total IGA
The stool test is equal to "Gliadin Antibody (IgG, IgA)" test. If it comes back negative then I will look at the other 2 tests to rule out gluten/celiac disease.

I will stop at walgreens on the way home and get me some metamucil. LOL man I must be geting old, I use to make fun of those comercials. :p

My urine was bright florescent yellow in 1 hour 15 minutes.

My health food store sells this (I'm paraphrasing here) all in one amino acid formula. Would this be advisable perhaps for someone with stomach concerns esp. if it contains L-Glutamine in it? Anyone else take something like this???

For people who do not digest protein (because of low stomach acid from achlorhydria or drugs taken) amino acids are needed.

I think Whey Protein is more cost effective than capsules. You get more for your $$.

I would begin by adding a good probiotic, or eating yogurt, to try to get your gut bacteria in balance. This can help with irritable bowel or other syndromes that cause diarrhea. If you every detect blood in your stool, get it checked out. I had severe ulcerative colitis, had entire colon and rectum removed, and then developed Crohn's on top of that. Your symptoms could be caused a range of things, but I would never ignore digestive symptoms.

I have been lucky so far in my 7 year journey with the disease and all my surgeries . . . I seem to absorb very well, including calories I don't ingest! :winky:

Both of us eat yogurt every day. It is also a great source of calcium. I found one at Kroger's called Carbmaster...it has whey protein added, and only 4 grams of carbs. Since I am not eating fructose, this is working out for me with no GI reactions.
80 cals/cup. Its consistencey is a bit different, but it is pretty good --they are always sold out! I use it for a "snack".

Hubby eats the "lite" version. On vacation yogurt choice was very very limited (at one time the small Mom/Pop store didn't even sell it!) But in the past 5 yrs they now carry Yoplait. So I stopped eating mine, and got a low calcium cramp attack. I cut back on my special calcium added Lactaid milk too because we only had the little refrig that worked. It was amazing how my muscles reacted to THAT SIMPLE FOOD CHANGE!

Some nutrients are linked to stomach acid for absorption. So low stomach acid leads to poor B12, folate, iron, calcium, zinc and magnesium.

I have noticed that tramadol does slow me down some GI transit wise. I tend to have "fast transit" because of my GI congenital birth defect called malrotation. Calcium and zinc are two nutrients that have a transporter in the intestine. But things like B's do not. Since you saw the B's coming out quickly in the urine, at least you know you absorb some things normally, Marty.

One of our posters here back in the days of the old board, had a fish tapeworm! This parasite gobbles up B12...so people unfortunate enough to have it, become deficient.
People with malabsorption issues, usually respond to increased doses of nutrients...so all is not hopeless.

I do not process protein well at all. I get really bad gas if I have a bowl of oatmeal, or chicken etc. I stay away from this kind of stuff like a pledge, always have. I can tolerate chicken once a week though. If I eat say left overs of chicken for work then next day I'm in bad shape. I was looking at the whey protein powders today at sams club and it brought back bad memories form the days 20 years ago when I used to lift weights allot and drank a protein shake daily. Back then it was egg protein that's all there was and I got ill from it. I think it coated my intestines or something.

The Whey protein powders today are not like the egg ones you used. Many people are allergic to egg---from all the vaccines they have been exposed to.

If you cannot digest protein, you might have low acid in the stomach. This can be improved with Betaine HCL supplement.
Protein that is not digested is fermented by bacteria in bowel, to form gas, and hence pain/cramping/diarrhea as a result.

I think I will try it on my next order. Thanks BTW I got some metamucil.

WalMart has some nice whey powders in small containers for about $10. It is a good way to try something with less investment.

Something to consider: Males who are low in protein intake, cannot make the albumin blood proteins that carry testosterone around in the body (and other drugs too).
When this happens, your sexual characteristics decline. You also lose muscle mass and bone density. So if you do not eat enough protein or cannot digest it properly, you suffer in many ways.

Whey protein is pre-digested so it is ready to go.

http://www.brinkzone.com/articledeta...atid=3&aid=101

Yeah your right and I've know that I have been on the decline most noticeable the past 10 years and that I could do a better job. I do weight lift and have most of my adult life. I think whey powder would be a good thing. I need to hit the weights more aggressively too. Studies have shown that the thing that gets the aged is flexibly and strength. You see aged ppl out trying to keep their heart and cario in good shape but keep declining in quality of life. This is due to the fact they become week and un-flexible according to the studies. If ppl over 50 did strength training they would really feel much better at 70! My wife has hit the weight machine that we bought almost 20 years ago everyday and let me tell you see has some guns. She can ran circle around a 20 year old no problem.

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/n...od-for-seniors

http://seniors-health-medicare.suite...ng_for_seniors

http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/...ger/index.html