Guest guest Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Eric, First let us be clear that there is a difference between allergies and sensitivities / intolerances. I am mostly talking about the later. Hence, searches on dextrin and food allergies may yield nothing, but that does not mean it is not problematic for certain individuals. It is well documented that proteins are not the only issue when it comes to sensitivities. Sugars and starches can also cause problems. Consequently, clinically even potato start (supposedly hypoallergenic) can cause problems. Everyone has a difference tolerance to these fillers, and people react to different company's products. So chemistry aside, this is just what we see as clinical reality. One cannot just write off such reactions as psychosomatic because there is no 'proof'. Ha. J As far as the dextrin issue, I am just quoting the Mayway website, which states they are using large amounts at times to cut there product. They do not mention starch as a filler, but who know the real truth here. - On Behalf Of Eric Brand Sunday, August 02, 2009 12:39 PM Re: California Acupuncture Board Decreases Herb Portion of Exam <%40> , " " wrote: > > Bill, > Mayway states on their website that their single herb extract powders use > dextrin (and other unspecified ingredients) for fillers for an unknown > amount of their granulars. Also as Eric stated, sometimes this is up to 50%. > This is corn based and hence can be problematic for many patients. Actually, I think that dextrin is usually used in much lower amounts than starch. Starch is generally around 50% in most products that contain it, sometimes as low as 35%. By contrast, dextrin is often only around 5-15%, but it can be much higher for items that naturally have a high concentration ratio and thus need to be diluted to come down to 5:1. That said, to my knowledge I am unsure if dextrin poses any risk of food allergies. True, it is a corn product, but I'm under the impression that it does not contain corn proteins, which are the allergen that triggers reactions. I've posed this question on CHA before, but so far no chemists have chimed in to clarify. My impression is that dextrin is not thought to be an allergen. All I can find on pubmed about dextrin and allergies is stuff that uses dextrin in various preparations to treat allergies. It is the most common pharmaceutical excipient in the world- are there allergy warnings on pharmaceutical pills? Certainly some patients could experience psychogenic symptoms, and I wouldn't be surprised if crude corn starch itself might be problematic, but I've so far not seen evidence that suggests that dextrin poses a risk to sensitive patients. Just because it comes from corn doesn't mean it has the same baggage as corn, chemistry is way more complex than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 , " " wrote: > > Eric, > First let us be clear that there is a difference between allergies and > sensitivities / intolerances. I am mostly talking about the later. Hence, > searches on dextrin and food allergies may yield nothing, but that does not > mean it is not problematic for certain individuals. Ok, fair enough. I've been away from Boulder too long to keep up with all these things. Honestly, when I meet patients that can't even eat something as benign as a potato I start to wonder if maybe they have bigger problems than potatoes. Anyway, food sensitivities is not one of my areas of interest or expertise so I'll defer to those who have studied it more than I have. > As far as the dextrin issue, I am just quoting the Mayway website, Very nice info on that website, thanks for sharing. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Eric, Yes food sensitivities is an interest of mine, and I've studied quite a bit on the subject. However, I can assure you that it is not just a Boulder problem or some psychogenic issue. As many of us are well aware of, food sensitivities, especially in children, are becoming more and more prevalent. Many of us thought, is this just a Boulder phenomenon? Or is it that people are just more aware of food sensitivities and are now on the lookout for them? Well we know that a multitude of practitioners in varying cities report overwhelming number of incidents, so we can rule out the Boulder phenomenon. But one must be on the lookout for them to be able to diagnose them. So are we just finding them more because we are looking for them more? New evidence suggests that no, the rates are actually on the rise. There was a recent landmark study that came out in the regard to celiac (gluten intolerance). They compared some stored blood from people (I think from 1940s) to a similar population's blood (nowadays) and found a 4.5x (450%) increase in celiac markers. But clinical reality trumps all. When we see kid after kid come in with problems we have to wonder what is going on. Although awareness is certainly more prevalent, there are numerous environmental and dietary factors creating such problems. So yes, I agree that if patients are sensitive to potato starch then there is more going on. There is usually a lot going on in these patients and many times they are very sick. Hence granulars can cause problems in such patients. However, even patients that are not that sickly or have major food sensitivities will get problems from granulars. However, I've yet to figure out why. -Jason On Behalf Of Eric Brand Sunday, August 02, 2009 2:18 PM Re: granulars / mayway etc <%40> , " " wrote: > > Eric, > First let us be clear that there is a difference between allergies and > sensitivities / intolerances. I am mostly talking about the later. Hence, > searches on dextrin and food allergies may yield nothing, but that does not > mean it is not problematic for certain individuals. Ok, fair enough. I've been away from Boulder too long to keep up with all these things. Honestly, when I meet patients that can't even eat something as benign as a potato I start to wonder if maybe they have bigger problems than potatoes. Anyway, food sensitivities is not one of my areas of interest or expertise so I'll defer to those who have studied it more than I have. > As far as the dextrin issue, I am just quoting the Mayway website, Very nice info on that website, thanks for sharing. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.