FODZYME is Monash University Low FODMAP Certified

FODZYME, a unique enzyme supplement that breaks down FODMAPs, is now officially Monash University Low FODMAP Certified™.* 

At Kiwi Biosciences, we are proud to announce that in March 2022, FODZYME has been granted the low FODMAP certification by Monash University in Australia. 

Through cutting-edge research, FODZYME was developed to address FODMAPs directly and shift the way people approach food - free from fear or chronic gut distress. The enzyme blend comes in powder form and addresses FODMAPs directly to make food painless. 

When sprinkled on or mixed with high-FODMAP meals, FODZYME’s powder blend integrates with food directly and breaks down FODMAPs into more digestible simple sugars, helping people enjoy foods with confidence. 

Since its release to market in May 2021, the life-changing powder has helped over 3000 people digest their favorite food effortlessly and step away from the limitations of the low FODMAP diet.

FODZYME Starter Kit

Extra powerful and portable, FODZYME® 5-dose^® Starter Kit brings 33% extra enzymatic activity to break down fructan, lactose, and GOS and help you enjoy your favorite meals painlessly^*, wherever you are.

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What are FODMAPs?

FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, di-saccharides, mono-saccharides, and polyols. What it means in human language is that FODMAPs are fermentable fibers found in foods that are too stubborn to be digested. 

As for how these molecules affect us as human beings, FODMAPs are poorly digested carbohydrates that can trigger gut symptoms like abdominal pain, excessive gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. This especially applies to and affects people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

The role of the Monash  University

Due to the high molecular complexity, it is hard to know which foods exactly contain which FODMAPs. With an extensive research base, the team at Monash University have mastered the measuring of FODMAP contents in foods and created a distinctive traffic light system, which they translated into the Monash University FODMAP Diet App. The mobile app allows people to check the FODMAP levels in a wide database of fruits, vegetables, and other foods.

The troublesome part about these molecules is that some people might be sensitive to specific FODMAP groups, like fructan and GOS, while others can easily digest all of them apart from polyols. With that comes a necessity to identify the exact triggers one has before trying to address them. This is where the low FODMAP protocol comes into play.

What is a low FODMAP diet?

The concept of a low FODMAP diet and FODMAPs themselves has been gaining popularity over the last few years all around the world. However, it was a research team at Monash University in Australia that originally developed the low FODMAP diet. It comes as no surprise that in Australia, the concept is considerably widely known, tried, and tested.

To put it simply, a low FODMAP diet limits the intake of foods that are high in FODMAPs. The more elaborate answer to that question is - it’s quite a complex approach to identifying an individual’s trigger foods (those that may cause unwelcome digestive symptoms) and managing these symptoms as a result.  

The diet is specifically useful for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In fact, up to 86% of patients with IBS find improvement in overall gastrointestinal symptoms as well as individual symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal distention, and flatulence following the diet.

As for what it is and how one can follow it, it is usually described as a 3-step diet to help these individuals manage their symptoms, which might include stomach pain, excessive gas, diarrhea, and constipation. 

The most important part to remember, however, is that this diet is not meant to be followed long-term. Though it is recommended as the first treatment for IBS, the secret to its success lies in following through the phase of reintroduction, not just cutting out these foods altogether.

According to Monash University, not everyone with IBS will improve on a low FODMAP diet. Besides, while a low-FODMAP diet can help identify an individual’s trigger foods, it can also be really restrictive. It is also important to remember that by cutting out the high-FODMAP foods completely from your diet, you, therefore, deprive your body of a plethora of nutritional benefits these foods can bring. 

The power and efficacy of FODZYME

As you may already know, FODZYME’s enzyme blend breaks down the FODMAP molecules fructan, galacto-oligosaccharides, and lactose into more digestible simple sugars. Made with all-natural ingredients, the blend consists of lactase, alpha-galactosidase, and inulinase enzymes which are stabilized by dextrose, dextrin, and maltodextrin (in order to ensure the enzymes retain effectiveness over time). 

Through both preliminary in-vivo and in-vitro trials, our clinical team has witnessed encouraging results that show efficacy when FODZYME® is administered compared to a placebo. With the powder administration, less than 10% of fructan remained in a simulated gut after 30 minutes through an in-vitro model. 

We have tested FODZYME's efficacy through SHIME®, a scientifically validated model of a human gut. A dose of FODZYME was added together with 3g of inulin (a common source of fructan) to see how effectively FODZYME’s inulinase breaks down fructan. As a result, fructan was rapidly broken into simple fructose with ~90% of the inulin degraded within 30 minutes. The study also showed that 70% of fructose was absorbed during the simulated small intestinal transit, therefore reducing gas.

For more details, our clinical brief provides a greater breakdown of data and research that has gone into the mentioned trials of the enzymatic approach to FODMAPs.

One of the unique factors about FODZYME is the use of inulinase, an enzyme that breaks down fructan, most commonly found in garlic, onion, wheat and many more delicious foods. The other one is the powder form. We stepped away from locking the enzymes in capsules in order to facilitate easier access to the substances they are intended to break down.  In other words, unlike capsules, powder incorporates with food immediately, so the enzymes can get to work instantly and prevent the FODMAP effect on an individual’s gut.

Just in time for the Monash certification, we have partnered with FodShop, an online FODMAP shop created and run by a certified nutritionist Shaynie Ashkenazi, to be able to offer FODZYME to people in Australia and New Zealand. 

FodShop is the world’s first online FODMAP expert Commercial Nutritionist-run shop and gastroenterology resource, supplying more than 2,000 low FODMAP approved food products from more than 500 local & international brands, additionally meeting various food intolerance, allergen-friendly, and nutrition requirements.

Having sold out the first batch of FODZYME test kits in 48 hours, FodShop is expecting to have it back in stock at the beginning of April 2022. Meanwhile, you can order FODZYME directly from our site or sign up to be notified when it’s available from FodShop once again.  

* Monash University Low FODMAP Certified trademarks used under licence in the US by FODZYME. One serve of this product is low in FODMAPs and can assist with following the Monash University Low FODMAP Diet™ . A strict low FODMAP diet should only be commenced under the supervision of a healthcare professional. Monash University has assessed this product as being low in FODMAPs only. 
A low FODMAP diet does not treat a disease but may help to meet nutritional needs with reduced gastrointestinal symptoms. Monash University receives a licence fee for use of the Monash University Low FODMAP Certified trademarks.