Does FODZYME Improve SIBO Symptoms? A Review

Is FODZYME revolutionizing eating for people with small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) as a targeted enzymatic supplement designed to address FODMAP intolerance? FODMAPS can cause bloating, gas, and discomfort for individuals suffering from SIBO. FODZYME’s concept is easy to use: sprinkle powdered digestive enzymes onto your meal and consume. The digestive enzymes will break down fermentable FODMAPS before they reach your small intestine, where problematic microbes may ferment them, causing SIBO symptoms. FODZYME differs from traditional digestive enzyme capsules, which can take longer to dissolve and mix with your food, potentially reducing their effectiveness. By sprinkling and mixing the digestiv enzymes into your meal, FODZYME aims to quickly neutralize troublesome carbohydrates, helping to minimize symptoms often associated with high-FODMAP containing foods, including garlic, onion, beans, dairy, etc.

How FODZYME Works To Improve Your Digestive Health

FODZYME features a potent formulation of three key digestive enzymes: fructan hydrolase, alpha-galactosidase, and lactase, each playing a vital role in improving the digestion and assimilation of our food. Fructan hydrolase effectively breaks down fructans, complex chains of fructose (a simple sugar primarily found in fruits) and glucose (a simple sugar), which are found in everyday foods we ingest, including wheat, onions, and garlic. Alpha-galactosidase targets galacto-oligosaccharides, prebiotic complex sugars found within beans and legumes. Lactase ensures the digestion of the milk sugar lactose found in most dairy products. Together, these digestive enzymes work synergistically to reduce the fermentable substrates (FODMAPS) available to gut microbes within our small intestine, offering significant relief from the challenging symptoms of SIBO, like bloating and gas.¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵

Any Studies?

A compelling 2023 in vitro study utilizing the SHIME® model (a simulation model of our gut) showed that just a 1.125-gram dose of FODZYME degraded an impressive ninety percent of inulin, a fructan, within thirty minutes. Furthermore, seventy percent of the released fructose was absorbed during simulated small intestinal transit. The study also reported a marked reduction in gas production, with only a slight decrease in short-chain fatty acid levels. The study indicates that FODZYME can alleviate uncomfortable symptoms and preserve the benefits of healthy microbial fermentation within our gut. In vitro study results are not the same as in vivo double blind studies to determine if a similar effect would happen in your stomach if you took FODZYME. Finally, the study was run and funded by Kiwi Biosciences, the producers of FODZYME.⁶

A newer in-vivo study supports the promising results above in the in-vitro study. In a self-controlled case series involving 131 participants who completed the study out of 527 patients, 73.1 percent reported an overall improvement in their SIBO symptoms after four weeks of using FODZYME. Additionally, seventy percent of study participants experienced less frequent bloating, and 76.3 percent reported reduced daily disruptions caused by SIBO symptoms. Notably, 64.5 percent of study participants felt less compelled to avoid certain foods that contained FODMAPS, and 57.0 percent experienced improved mental health. These outcomes highlight the significant impact that improved digestion can have on daily life and mood. While these findings need to be validated in larger, randomized trials, they suggest that FODZYME may provide more than just a temporary solution; it could help restore their confidence in eating foods that contain FODMAPS. Finally, this newer study was still sadly run and funded by Kiwi Biosciences, the producers of FODZYME. I would like to see a few in vivo double-blind studies not performed or financed by Kiwi Biosciences to see how well the digestive enzyme supplements improve SIBO symptoms when you consume FODMAPS.⁷

Fix Your Gut’s Thoughts

Of course, FODZYME is not a cure for SIBO, and Kiwi Biosciences is quick to emphasize that it functions as a symptom-management supplement rather than a treatment for the underlying condition causing one’s SIBO. On their official website, Kiwi Biosciences clarifies that FODZYME should be used to manage the discomfort associated with FODMAP sensitivity. At the same time, patients pursue appropriate medical evaluation and therapies for SIBO, such as antibiotics, supplements, prokinetics, or dietary interventions. Many gut health specialists integrate FODMAPS into a comprehensive plan, particularly during the reintroduction phase of a low-FODMAP diet or to add dietary flexibility once triggers have been identified. By reducing FODMAPS while eating your meals, FODZYME can help you expand your food choices without immediately triggering symptoms, which is invaluable for overall digestion, nutrition, and quality of life.

Comparing FODZYME and the low-FODMAP diet reveals both pros and cons. The low-FODMAP diet, considered the gold standard by Monash University, can relieve symptoms for up to seventy-five percent of SIBO sufferers. However, its strict elimination phase can lead to nutritional deficiencies, a reduction in one’s probiotic microbiome colonies, depression, and anxiety over the strict diet and food preparation, potentially harming one’s health over time.⁸

In contrast, FODZYME allows individuals to gradually reintroduce high-FODMAP foods while managing symptoms, preserving beneficial prebiotic intake. For example, the polyphenols and fiber of ingested FODMAP foods with FODZYME would still be preserved and help feed your microbiome. This enzyme-based approach may offer a more sustainable and less restrictive way to manage symptoms when paired with targeted dietary adjustments that are different for each person suffering from SIBO. If you want greater dietary guidance, contact me for coaching.

A key comparison is between antibiotic therapy for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and other treatment options. Antibiotics aim to relieve bacterial overgrowth directly, but they can also cause dysbiosis by reducing large quantities of probiotic bacterial colonies within our digestive tract. Rifaximin is commonly the first-line antibiotic prescribed for hydrogen-dominant SIBO cases, while a combination of rifaximin and neomycin is used for methane-dominant SIBO cases. Although antibiotics can provide symptomatic relief for many people, the recurrence rates can be high, reaching up to fifty percent within nine months of those treated only with antibiotics.

In contrast, digestive enzyme supplements like FODZYME do not significantly alter the gut microbiota, which reduces the risk of antibiotic resistance or significant changes in microbial balance. Instead, these digestive enzyme supplements reduce the substrate, essentially the “food” available to bacteria to ferment and increase their colonies. Therefore, FODZYME might have a mild to moderate antimicrobial effect on bacteria that prefer ferment FODMAPS for survival within our small and/or large intestine.⁹

Cost and accessibility can be significant drawbacks of digestive enzyme supplements like FODZYME. A typical order of thirty packets costs around sixty dollars, making each meal where you use the digestive enzyme supplement about two dollars. Most users need at least one packet per meal, with a second dose recommended for larger meals, leading to high costs.

FODZYME accepts flexible spending accounts and health savings account cards and offers discounts and bundle deals. However, you should weigh this ongoing expense against the benefits of taking the powdered digestive enzyme supplement. If cost is a factor, I recommend using FODZYME selectively for special occasions or high-FODMAP meals to conserve supplies while maintaining dietary flexibility.

FODZYME boasts a minimal side-effect profile, with the vast majority of users experiencing no adverse effects, aside from occasional mild digestive upset during the early reintroduction of trigger foods. The digestive enzyme contains dextrin from corn and enzymes from the Aspergillus mold. Kiwi Biosciences provides third-party testing for heavy metals, microbial contaminants, and allergens for their product. Individuals with severe corn allergies, mold sensitivities, histamine intolerance, or mast cell activation disorder might avoid using FODZYME because it could cause or worsen symptoms. While allergic reactions are infrequent, anyone experiencing hives, swelling, or difficulty breathing after taking FODZYME must stop use immediately and seek medical attention. Finally, remember that if you have Celiac disease, ingesting FODZYME with wheat products WILL STILL be problematic. The digestive enzyme supplement will enzymatically break down the fructans within wheat. However, FODZYME WILL NOT break down gluten, and YOUR BODY WILL still react negatively to ingesting gluten.¹⁰ ¹¹ ¹²

How to Take FODZYME

FODZYME dosing guidelines are simple but require careful timing. For best results, sprinkle one packet on your meal at the beginning, stirring it in or chewing it with the first bite. Use a second packet to maintain enzyme activity if your meal is large and lasts more than 30 minutes. Taking a second dosage of the digestive enzyme supplement ensures continued breakdown of FODMAPs as new food enters your stomach, providing lasting relief from ingesting FODMAPs.

Is FODZYME the Only FODMAP Busting Digestive Enzyme Supplement?

FODZYME is not the only supplement competing in the FODMAP digestive enzyme supplement arena. Microbiome Labs’ FODMATE features a blend of four enzymes, alpha-galactosidase, lactase, pectinase, and glucose isomerase, designed to address oligosaccharides, lactose, pectin fibers, and additional sugars. While both products contain alpha-galactosidase and lactase, FODMATE includes pectinase, which helps break down the plant sugar pectin found in their cell walls, and glucose isomerase, which aids digestion for people with fructose intolerance. Microbiome Labs does disclose that the enzymes used in FODMATE are microbial-derived. You should avoid using it if you have yeast sensitivities, histamine intolerance, or mast cell activation disorder. You should take a lactase supplement (made from Aspergillus, use with caution if you have a yeast sensitivity, histamine intolerance, or mast cell activation disorder) with FODMATE if you ingest a meal with lactose.¹³

FODMATE is available in capsule form, which some people prefer over sprinkling and mixing a powder into their food. Anecdotal reports suggest adjusting dosages and timing can be more challenging with capsules than powder, which can be easily sprinkled onto food, possibly making FODZYME a better digestive enzyme supplement. I recommend trying FODMATE if FODZYME did not give you relief from SIBO symptoms when ingesting FODMAPs.

Concluding Thoughts

FODZYME plays a promising yet undefined role in gut health, as multiple non-sponsored studies and clinical trials assessing its impact on the microbiome and symptom recurrence in Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth have not yet been performed. Initial research indicates that it effectively preserves short-chain fatty acid production, essential for colon health, and may even outperform the restrictive low-FODMAP diet. However, limited research has been done on its effects on our gut microbiome, and SIBO recurrence rates remain. FODZYME’S limitations reflect the complexity of SIBO: it cannot, on its own, relieve microbial dysbiosis, fix motility, or address every food insensitivity for people with digestive issues.

Kiwi Biosciences is committed to advancing clinical research in collaboration with leading academic gastroenterology centers to establish FODZYME’s critical role in managing SIBO. Incorporating FODZYME into a gut health regimen is a decisive choice that balances the benefits of symptom relief and dietary variety against considerations such as cost and convenience. For many, FODZYME relieves or ends the hardship of the strict dietary restrictions of a low-FODMAP diet for the treatment of SIBO. FODZYME targets FODMAP degradation through a robust, targeted blend of FODMAP digestive enzymes and an innovative powdered delivery system. FODZYME can significantly enhance the quality of life for those committed to improving their gut health.