Beano

Beano is a dietary supplement containing alpha-galactosidase, an enzyme made from Aspergillus niger, a mold. It breaks down indigestible sugars in foods such as beans, brassicas and cucurbits, allowing those of us with delicate digestions to eat them without unpleasant effects.

Its introduction 20 years ago was a life-changing event for me, and I have happily used it in liquid form ever since, but the company changed hands and Glaxo Smith Kline has discontinued manufacturing the liquid version. I've managed to find a mail-order source of a few last bottles, but the stuff has an expiration date and loses efficacy with time, so I can't really stock up in quantity.

Now it only comes in more expensive and cumbersome tablets, said to be chalky, and strawberry-flavored "Meltaways." Leaving aside the fact that strawberry isn't exactly what I want to taste just before eating beans, both of these products also contain mannitol, a substance that causes some of the same effects I am trying avoid.

A little Googling turned up Bean-zyme, a mail-order product that is somewhat less expensive. These tablets have a different formulation, but include mannitol and sorbitol. Bean-zyme also omits invertase, an ingredient in Beano (invertase is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of sucrose into glucose and fructose -- I am uncertain what role it plays in the action of Beano).

If there's an alternative liquid out there, I have not found it.

Anyway, are there other Beano users out there? Which form do you use? Have you had trouble because of the sweeteners? How does dosage translate from liquid to the other versions? (FWIW, 5 drops of liquid Beano contain 150 GALU of alpha-galactosidase, and so does 1 tablet, but it seems as if the delivery vehicle might make a difference: Liquid medicines sometimes work faster and more effectively.)

Has anyone tried any alternative products?

I don't, but since it might also be pertinent to the conversation - I use a similar product for our family's lactose intolerance: Lacteez Similar issues with stocking up (if someone wants to go in on a case with me, LMK) but I'm pretty sure it's cheaper than buying the milk that they put the stuff in, and it's certainly cheaper than the insanely expensive tablets.

Mannitol.... that stuff was quite handy in the '80's!

I just use generic Gas-X tablets after and they seem to do the job.

I just blame the dog.

I just leer and tell kids to pull my finger

Is Beano bad for your heart?

Kennyz wrote:I just blame the dog.

I just tell people that I eat an organic diet and claim that its good for the environment...so get over it.

Though, I'm not above Jim the Beer Guy's approach either.

As long as we're down this road, you may as well just give up and become a performer.

(it's selection 1...for some reason the link doesn't work.)

Pie Lady, I'm admiring your signature line...

My brother runs the Beano advertising account. His semi-salient comments:

nr706's baby brother wrote:you found the last person buying drops! drops were dropped!

we knew about bean-zyme and had passed on to lawyers for patent infringement.

I've asked GSK for info on the rest of the ingredient issues....

FYI

The Beano liquid ingredient lists sorbitol too.

LAZ wrote:Has anyone tried any alternative products?

In the last nine months I've totally switched up how I eat and what I put in my stomach. I'm half Asian and have always had lactose intolerance. I mention this because since my eating change-up I can now eat beans and peanuts, and other previously gas causing veggies and I don't produce gas anymore.

I'm attributing it to my new addition of regularly eating yogurts with active cultures and kefir which has culture too. I also added lots of fermented veggies too which has added more "good bacteria" to my gut, that wasn't there before.

Pie Lady, Gas-X, or simethicone, is not a preventative. All it does is cause the bubbles in your stomach to combine into larger ones so that you can belch them quicker. It isn't effective for gas in the lower digestive tract, so if that's why you've been taking it, you can probably not bother. Activated charcoal tablets taken before and after eating can help with lower g.i. gas.

Not to tell you more than you really need to know, but unfortunately, the ill effects I use Beano to prevent aren't limited to gas; believe me, it's not fun to watch.

Leek, my bottle of Bean drops says xylitol, which is a much sweeter sugar alcohol than sorbitol, so I'm guessing the amount consumed in a typical dose is negligible.

LAZ, not sure if you cook your own beans, but if so, does a long soak alleviate problems or are you cooking dried beans without soaking?

LAZ wrote:Pie Lady, Gas-X, or simethicone, is not a preventative. All it does is cause the bubbles in your stomach to combine into larger ones so that you can belch them quicker. It isn't effective for gas in the lower digestive tract, so if that's why you've been taking it, you can probably not bother.

Interesting, I didn't know that, but it does work for both, for me.

nr706 wrote:My brother runs the Beano advertising account. His semi-salient comments:

nr706's baby brother wrote:you found the last person buying drops! drops were dropped!

we knew about bean-zyme and had passed on to lawyers for patent infringement.

I've asked GSK for info on the rest of the ingredient issues....

FYI

Thanks. I did write to the company to express my unhappiness at their discontinuing the drops. I got back a form letter confirming that they were no longer manufactured and essentially saying too bad. They didn't even offer me a coupon for the other formats.

Can your brother explain why they thought strawberry was an appropriate pre-bean flavor?

Isn't 20 years the duration of a patent?

kenji wrote:LAZ, not sure if you cook your own beans, but if so, does a long soak alleviate problems or are you cooking dried beans without soaking?

Soaking beans does break down raffinose somewhat and for most people that's enough. I have a digestive disorder that makes me particularly sensitive, so soaking alone isn't completely effective. I also have problems with many other vegetables and whole grains. Before Beano, I could not eat these foods at all.

Pie Lady wrote:As long as we're down this road, you may as well just give up and become a performer.

(it's selection 1...for some reason the link doesn't work.)

Actually, someone already has that line of work all locked up...but not for long...

A quick google search for alpha-galactosidase reveals a number of sources for the enzyme.

http://www.nutriteck.com/galactosidase.html

http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Gas-Enzyme- ... actosidase

http://www.nutriteck.com/bulk/dietary_enzymes.html

You could probably dissolve some in a suitable solution and make your own liquid version. Another alternative is to pick up the enzyme from a lab supplier like new england bio labs although these are definitely not meant for consumption (although, you probably wouldn't be harmed but I can't advise it).

http://www.neb.com/nebecomm/products/productP0731.asp

They might have info on preparing solutions if you do track down a food grade source.

It also appears that alpha-galactosidase is sold as the drug Replagal by Shire for Fabry's disease, maybe you could get some of this and use it off-label.

Good luck!

-Lyle

lgordon wrote:
You could probably dissolve some in a suitable solution and make your own liquid version. Another alternative is to pick up the enzyme from a lab supplier like new england bio labs although these are definitely not meant for consumption (although, you probably wouldn't be harmed but I can't advise it).

Good luck!

-Lyle

HA!

Use your lower GI tract as a science fair project.