corn intolerance and xanthan gum

goldgeogirl · Post by **goldgeogirl** » Thu May 10, 2012 1:25 pm

My husband just received his EnteroLab results...Gluten intolerance was no surprise....the big surprise was his corn intolerance. It's a relief because it explains a lot, but it's quite overwhelming how many things are corn derivatives. So since most gluten free processed foods contain xanthan gum, I'm concerned about it. I've read that it should be avoided, but "Enjoy Life" brand states on its website that "Xanthan gum is derived from the fermentation of corn sugars; however, all corn sugars are removed in the processing of xanthan gum. Xanthan gum contains no corn protein and is tolerated by most corn-free people." Can anyone share any experiences?

Too bad cornmeal and cornstarch have been my flours of choice...

Thanks,
Lisa

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Thu May 10, 2012 2:00 pm

Lisa,

I will let those better informed weigh in on the xanthum gum point, but just wanted to say "Yay/bummer!" Yay, because now at least you know what you're up against. Bummer, because corn is harder to avoid than some other foods (mainly, I think, because it's not one of the 8 foods recognized as major allergens by the FDA, so it's not required to be disclosed). It can be done, though! Hope your hubby is on the way to getting better!

kitty16 · Post by **kitty16** » Thu May 10, 2012 2:10 pm

Hi,

I cannot eat anything with xanthum gum, guar gum in fact if I see gum in the ingredients I stay away. As a matter of fact if you look up xanthum gum it is used as a laxative. Im hoping that once I have some gut healing I will be able to tolerate it.

K

Post by **tex** » Thu May 10, 2012 2:10 pm

Lisa wrote:I've read that it should be avoided, but "Enjoy Life" brand states on its website that "Xanthan gum is derived from the fermentation of corn sugars; however, all corn sugars are removed in the processing of xanthan gum. Xanthan gum contains no corn protein and is tolerated by most corn-free people." Can anyone share any experiences?

They are wrong. The processors and industry and medical "experts" also insist that it's impossible for someone who is sensitive to soy to react to soy oil or soy lecithin, but virtually all of us who are sensitive to soy also react to soy oil and soy lecithin. The same is said of corn oil, but most of us who are sensitive to corn are also sensitive to corn oil. Besides, many of us here who are not sensitive to corn react adversely to xanthan gym. Xanthan gum is made by allowing a certain strain of bacteria (Xanthomonas campestris) to eat corn sugar, (actually they eat a combination of 3 different types of corn sugar). Their fecal output is a sugar compound that looks more like slime, but since it probably wouldn't sell very well if it were called "germ crap", it was judiciously named xanthan gum by it's developers (scientists working for USDA). Some people politely refer to the conversion process as "fermentation", since that sounds so much more palatable.

Anyway, most likely, those who react to xanthan gum are probably reacting to a protein byproduct in the bacteria feces, rather than to zein (the primary protein in corn).

I avoided corn and all it's derivatives for about a year and a half while I was recovering, and you are correct -- avoiding it is rather difficult, because corn is in virtually everything. The only commercial drinks that I could safely drink, for example, were Virgil's Root Beer and original formula Dr. Pepper, which was still made with cane sugar at the original Dr. Pepper bottling plant in Dublin, TX. Everything else was sweetened with either corn syrup, or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), or one of the artificial sweeteners (which are even worse, for most of us). These days, Dr. Pepper and a few other soft drinks sweetened with cane sugar (no HFCS) are much more widely available. I drank a lot of homemade tea, during that year and a half.

Tex

goldgeogirl · Post by **goldgeogirl** » Thu May 10, 2012 4:16 pm

Thanks for the info and well wishes. I was starting to figure it out too because he had a flare start yesterday, and the only real difference in his diet was sweet pickles he ate on Monday. I looked at the label this morning. HFCS. Hmmmm. THen the results this afternoon. Although maybe not. One of those things that's right in front of you, but you just can't see, or won't.

Thanks, Tex, for the explanation. Wow, no wonder I don't like the taste of xanthan gum. I've learned a lot today, specifically about all those mysterious ingredients you see in processed food labels. This will be interesting.

I can't be thankful enough for this site...