If this doc is right about UC

I never eat saccharin, never have.

I drank a lot of Diet Coke when I was a vegetarian before UC came to stay. I think I've read before that artificial sweeteners inhibit certain digestive activity. I've always suspected the Diet Coke among other simultaneous events in my life at that time including multiple antibiotics, stress and anemia due to another (since fixed) physical problem.

I may be overstating it in my case but I was such an extremely healthy person before UC that I think it took multiple factors for me to get UC plus I am genetically part of that Northern European type more likely to get it.

I don't know, I wonder more about what some country's are doing (in the way of types of pesticides and such) to their fruits and veggies that are causing issues rather than the actual type of fruit/veggie.

Lockforce: There is also a genetic tie in somehow. That is why this disease is so difficult to understand. Some are predisposed and perhaps the wrong foods in the diet will cause a problem.
I know the above is an off the wall theory, but the possiblilty exists.
Besides food,there could be a food additive causing the same effect.
There are a million other theories for IBD take your pick.
Old Mike

I have just added info that aspartic acid from casein in milk also inhibits β-glucuronidase,and it will make it to the colon.
As you can see there are a few compounds that will inhibit other than saccharin.
Old mike

Acids from digestion in the stomach are not going to make it to the colon,in people with normal pancreatic function.
However low molecular weight acids can/will be produced in the colon due to fermentation.
Also that burning sensation and anal irritation can be produced by protease in your gut that are still active,you skin starts to get digested.
Since there is no protective mucus barrier outside the rectum.
Old Mike

Old Mike,

I recently came across the artificial sweetener paper myself.

I started investigating the "protease possibility" (excess production/insufficient inhibition?) after wondering *why* psyllium works for me (binding of digestive enzymes?).

I agree that stomach acid would not normally make it through the digestive process, but I've always felt my UC had a sort of "chemical burn" quality to it. That led me to the digestive enzymes and the proteases in particular (after all, *we* are mostly made up of protein...).

Having recently found (completely by accident) that melatonin/B6 greatly helps my UC, I did some further investigation and found out that melatonin increases secretion of bicarbonate into the digestive tract - more evidence of a digestive enzyme malfunction (neutralized by the increased bicarbonate).

Following the logic of the artificial sweetener paper, I have recently eliminated all known artificial sweeteners from my diet and reintroduced a limited amount of sugar in liquid form (Vitamin Water).

I decided to increase my very, very low natural sugar intake (which I have historically avoided in order to try and not gain weight) because 1) per the sweetener paper, I reasoned that not only might protease inhibitor deactivation be going on, but also that *displacement* of sugar from the diet might be starving protective cells lining the intestine and 2) I recalled that historically *sugar* was used to speed open wound healing (on historical battlefields, etc.) - open wounds, like intestinal ulcerations.

My "sugar experiment" seems to be going fairly well (but it has only been two weeks).

In general, my pain level has decreased (even on very low Asacol) and my bowel movement frequency is way, way, way down. Diarrhea has stopped and stools are much firmer.

So, very tentatively, the increased sugar may 1) allow protease inhibition to resume and/or 2) nourish the protective "barrier" cells of the colon.

Next question - if the protease inhibition dysfunction is innate (rather than induced by artificial sweeteners) how might appropriate protease inhibition be "re-booted"?

I have read that certain legumes (lima beans and soybeans) have a protease inhibition capability but that they lose most/all of it during food preparation (soaking/cooking).

Such legumes appear to be much more commonly eaten in areas of the world where UC is less frequent (Africa, Latin America, etc - basically places where "bean protein" largely takes the place of meat protein).

I wonder if certain legumes could be used to combat dysfunctional protease inhibition by dietary means?

I just wanted to pass along my experiences and thoughts.

(Psyllium as an OTC UC treatment is nothing new, but melatonin is a bit of a shocker...)

sgarlata said...
Old Mike,

I wonder if certain legumes could be used to combat dysfunctional protease inhibition by dietary means?

Melatonin nightly, handfull of psyllium husk pills during the day. Cutting back sugar.

As far as beans go there was a person/doctor who was saying to soak them overnight to avoid flatulance and that the beans would help UC.

Chrissy: I pretty much have read the same things you have,whole grains
contain the protein,such as gluten and this can be a problem for some people. White rice is stripped of the protein and pretty much is just starch.
Old Mike

impaired deconjugation of conjugated biliary bilirubin is what the studies author says is happening. I remember reading way back about unbound iron as a possible cause of crohns. http://krysalishealthnotes.blogspot.com/2011/03/proposed-biochemical-cause-and-remedies.html

Old Mike is this related because I read about bilirubin and it talks about heme and red blood cells, so I wonder if there is unbound iron in it?

Also I am a little confused you said that Calcuim d glucrate will inhibit β-glucuronidase and you tried that but I thought you dont want to inhibit β-glucuronidase since that is what deconjugates the bilirubin.

Just wanted to post back on this thread, since it has now been over 2 months since I tried saccharin avoidance/sugar reintroduction.

*I have been able to stop taking Asacol/mesalamine (which I had previously been on for 13 years)*.

Granted, I was only taking a low maintenance dose of Asacol (2 X 400 mg daily) anyway but considering that I had to be on Asacol continuously for 13 years prior...in fact, sigmoid/rectal pain is now *lower* than Asacol was able to push it.

To recap my situation:

1) In 1999, diagnosed with sigmoid UC. Started taking high dose Asacol (6+ X 400 mg daily) - have tapered down over the years.

2) In 2003, discovered (almost by accident) that psyllium/Metamucil helped symptoms - almost to the same extent that Asacol did. Continued to take Asacol *and* psyllium as "belt and suspenders".

3) From 2003 to 2012, tried Omega-3 fish oil and hyoscyamine with some limited beneficial effects (but nothing indispensable, in contrast to Asacol and psyllium).

4) In 2012, discovered (again, essentially by accident) the *melatonin* seemed to help significantly with my UC. Pubmed-sourced theory suggests that melatonin helps increase sodium bicarbonate and neurotransmitters in colon.

5) Based on melatonin discovery, starting thinking (*hard*) about possible "digestive dysfunction" cause of UC ("body digesting itself") - led to discovery of following papers on Pubmed and elsewhere:

PMID: 12208202
PMCID: PMC3332284

http://digitaljournal.com/article/325050

6) In last part of September 2012, I hunted down and eliminated all (most?) artificial sweeteners from my diet (have to read ingredients carefully, since sweeteners - artificial and otherwise - are in tons of unexpected products).

7) Then reintroduced controlled amounts of liquid sugar into my diet (1 Glaceau XXX Vitamin Water per day - goofy, I know, but available everywhere and allowed a known amount of liquid sugar back into my diet - Vitamin Water also contains controlled amount of B vitamins, which were also in my melatonin supplement...so I thought they might have independent or synergistic beneficial effect).

8) Happened to run low on Asacol after about 2/3 weeks, so I decided to go down to 1 Asacol per day. Symptoms still very mild (compared to 13 year history with Asacol).

9) Went to *zero* Asacol in very early October 2012. Again, symptoms - while still detectable in a minor way - were much superior to any achieved over 13 year history with Asacol.

Most intriguingly, "point pain" (pain in two specific colon locations) that I had never been able to really eliminate over 13 years...more or less entirely went away (they still pop-up if I eat particularly high insoluble fiber foods).

10) As of today, I am only taking psyllium, melatonin, and Vitamin Water. No need for Asacol at all. Stools are solid and non-bloody (mostly a rarity over preceding 13 years).

Had never previously been off Asacol for more than a few days without symptoms quickly worsening.

I think Dr. Qin (see Pubmed papers) may *really* be on to something.

Note: My mother had an apparently asymptomatic bilirubin dysfunction for many years (only showed up in numerical test results). I don't understand enough of Dr. Qin's chemistry to know if this is suggestive of anything.

Sgarlata- what kind of melatonin dose do you take?