A concern that many FODMAP diet followers have is FODMAP “stacking.” Stacking refers to the cumulative build-up of FODMAPs in the digestive system over a given period of time.

Stacking FODMAPs as defined by Monash University

Monash University, which developed the FODMAP diet, defines stacking as when FODMAPs “add up” in your system before causing symptoms [1]. Multiple portions of low or medium FODMAP foods may cause a "build-up" of FODMAPs in the gut, which can cause distress for some people. This could occur if you eat a tolerable serving of a food in the morning, but also have the same food (or FODMAP group) for lunch.

Since food can take as long as 3 days to move through the entire gut [2], some people attribute lingering gut issues to the stacking of FODMAPs in their digestive systems. This phenomenon can even happen in extra sensitive folks if low FODMAP foods that still contain some of the FODMAP groups are eaten in excess. Lastly, stacking could occur if someone tolerates one serving of a high-FODMAP food, but not two servings. So, the stacking issues in this example would occur if someone ate a tolerable high-fodmap serving in the morning and then another serving at night.  

Monash recommends careful timing and serving sizes to avoid stacking concerns [1], but we believe FODZYME® is a simpler solution so you never to have worry about stacking throughout your day.

How FODZYME can help put FODMAP stacking concerns to rest

Here’s where FODZYME®, effective digestive enzymes to breakdown difficult FODMAP fibers, comes into play. Instead of timing out your meals to avoid stacking, simply use FODZYME® to break down the FODMAP contents in the foods. This strategy won’t allow any stacking to occur since the difficult-to-digest carbohydrates will already be broken down before they can stack together in the digestive tract. 

Say someone is sensitive to fructan (part of the “O” group in FODMAP) and loved pomegranates. Now, they wish to have a small serving of pomegranate seeds three times today since pomegranates are in season. Fifty-five grams (1/3 a cup) of pomegranate seeds have a “medium” FODMAP rating due to fructan content [3]. Three servings of food with medium FODMAP content could certainly cause stacking-related issues. 

How fructan is broken down by FODZYME

To avoid this, use FODZYME® with some or all of these servings of pomegranate seeds. Have a fruit smoothie? Add FODZYME®, it works great in smoothies and the blending will help mix the enzymes into the whole meal. Having yogurt topped with pomegranate? Add some FODZYME®, as it will address the lactose in yogurt and the fructan content in pomegranate. Having some pomegranate seeds on their own? Chew FODZYME® with your first bite or just cover the seeds in our texture-free powder. Just like that, stacking concerns can be part of your past since the fructan in these pomegranate dishes has been broken down with the help of FODZYME®. Three servings in a day is not a problem anymore! Now your only concern should be: what to do with all these pomegranates?

A customer recently reached out to us on Instagram with gratitude that FODZYME® is helping her eat more of her favorite vegan protein powder. The protein powder is high in FODMAPs if the serving is large enough, but now with FODZYME®, she's able to "stack" twice as many scoops into her diet!

We love success stories like this. Please let us know: how has FODZYME helped you eat a healthier diet? 

References:

1. Monash University How to avoid FODMAP stacking (2019).  https://www.monashfodmap.com/blog/how-avoid-fodmap-stacking/
2. Lee YY, Erdogan A, Rao SS. How to assess regional and whole gut transit time with wireless motility capsule. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. (2014). doi: 10.5056/jnm.2014.20.2.265*:* https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24840380/
3. Monash University Low FODMAP Diet Smartphone App (2021)