Re: Serenaid vs. Peptizyde. Q&A

[Guest guest]

Here is some information on the differences between SerenAid and

Peptizyde. Peptizyde is like the " new and improved " SerenAid. They

are in the Past Posts - the date of the post is given. Has anyone

used both products and seen a difference? We went with Peptizyde

because dairy was a major factor for us and I liked the idea of more

DPP IV.

.

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P18 Question by Parent Posted: 2000-12-30 15:20:02 EST

I have heard some parents give enzymes for slip-ups. What is the

difference between enzymes and Pepcid AC? How do these products

intervene?

P19 Reply by Dr. Devin Houston Posted: 2000-12-30 19:01:06 EST

Peptizyde, Zyme Prime, SerenAid and EnzymAid are all enzyme products.

Pepcid AC is a histamine blocker, which decreases acid production in

the stomach. Enzymes are catalysts for chemical reactions. The

particular enzymes in the products above are proteases, enzymes which

break down proteins. There are differences in the products: SerenAid,

which I formulated for Klaire Labs, is a multi-enzyme preparation

high in peptidase activity. It has DPP IV activity, which is the

peptidase that breaks down casomorphin. EnzymAid, sold by Kirkman's,

has no DPP IV activity. Instead, it has galactose which supposedly

causes the body to produce its own DPP IV (based on one study

performed in mice). Peptizyde has about 50% higher content of the DPP

IV than SerenAid. Another main difference is cost.

P25 Reply by Dr. Devin Houston Posted: 2001-01-27 10:07:47 EST

Keep in mind that most MDs have never done real research. The

statement made by the GND is misleading. You can't lump all enzymes

into one basket. From the literature I've read, casomorphin and

gluteomorphin can be produced from casein and gluten when in the

presence of trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase, or pepsin. At times, a

combination of two of the above will also produce exorphins. All

these enzymes are pancreatic or stomach enzymes.

SerenAid contains a peptidase activity known as DPP IV, which does

specifically cleave casomorphin. Peptizyde, contains higher levels of

DPP IV than SerenAid. I would certainly give either of these to a

child with autism who is not GFCF. The studies with SerenAid have

shown that many of these kids show improvement without going on the

diet. There are two reasons enzyme supplements help: First, by adding

additional proteases (SerenAid, Peptizyde) which work in the stomach

(before the pancreatic enzymes have a chance to work on casein and

gluten) the break-up of casein and gluten is altered, that is, they

are chopped up differently than if the added enzymes were not there.

Therefore, once the food enters the gut and contacts the pancreatic

enzymes, the proteins are in a different configuration, and

casomorphin and gluteomorphin are not produced. Secondly, DPP IV can

breakdown casomorphin and other peptides with the structure x-pro-x-

pro-x-pro, x being any amino acid, and pro being proline. Remember,

casein and gluten are not the real culprits, it is the exorphins

produced FROM casein and gluten that are the problem. If

casein/gluten was not altered in any way in the digestive tracts of

these kids, there would be no problem.

P26 Question by Parent Posted: 2001-02-03 22:34:57 EST

Is Peptizyde different from SerenAid?

P27 Reply by Dr. Devin Houston Posted: 2001-02-05 09:31:33 EST

Peptizyde is a more refined product than SerenAid. When I put

SerenAid together, I was working in the dark to some extent. I put

every protease I could think of into it. Now that I've had feedback

from parents, analyzed the side activities found in some of the

enzyme blends (I didn't find DPP IV in SerenAid until after it was

formulated), I know more about what I'm doing. For instance, the DPP

IV content of Peptizde is about 50% higher than SerenAid. Some of

the " unnecessary " enzymes in SerenAid have been removed from

Peptizyde (no lactase, for example; and less chance of unwanted

reactions to other enzymes). No lysine in Peptizyde but it does have

50 mg of glutamine which will help maintain the integrity of the gut

mucosal lining. Best of all, the price of Peptizyde is lower than

SerenAid.

P38 Reply by Dr. Devin Houston Posted: 2001-03-09 09:04:14 EST

Enzyme dosing: Reality vs Lab Situations...

It would be very easy to go to the lab and determine how much

SerenAid/Peptizyde would be needed to hydrolyze a given amount of

protein, because we would use a standard set of conditions (pH,

temperature, buffer concentration, etc.) to run the experiments.

In real life, however, we don't have standardized conditions.

Everyone's diet will be different, there will be more than one

protein present competing for enzyme-binding sites, maybe another

food compound will act as an inhibitor or accelerator of the enzyme

reaction. Taking other vitamins/minerals/supplements may have an

effect (don't ask me which ones, I'm speaking hypothetically). The

point is that there are too many variables and situations in the real

world to give out one standard set of dosing.

Now, the good news is that we have learned a lot about these enzymes

in the 2 years that these products have been " field-tested " by you

parents. Your feedback has been invaluable. It is from that

experience that I have developed Peptizyde. I know what and how much

of each enzyme is present in SerenAid and Peptizyde and which enzymes

are contributing the most in helping your children.

I also realized the problem with taking so many capsules. The potency

of Peptizyde is stronger with respect to the DPP IV peptidase

activity than any other product available. Therefore, fewer capsules

will be needed for dosing. While 5-6 capsules of SerenAid were

recommended, because that is what was available, then 3-4 capsules of

Peptizyde would suffice. Sorry if that sounds like an advertisement!

P55 Question by Parent Posted: 2001-04-02 01:02:40 EST

Can someone please explain the role of enzymes in autism? I see a lot

of parents on this board are using SerenAid but I'm not sure what

that is and what it does. There are so many factors involved in

autism and I want to learn as much as I can to help my child. Any

info is welcome. Thanks!!

P56 Reply by Dr. Devin Houston Posted: 2001-04-02 09:12:13 EST

Enzymes, and here we are talking about food or digestive enzymes, not

metabolic enzymes; are thought to be helpful in some children with

autism. Based on work by several people, including Karl Reichelt, it

has been demonstrated that our own pancreatic enzymes (trypsin,

chymotrypsin, elastase, and to a lesser extent, the stomach protease

pepsin) can hydrolyse (cut, cleave, degrade) the proteins casein and

gluten (found in dairy and wheat) in a precise manner as to produce

small peptides of about 6 to 10 amino acids long called exorphins

(casomorphin, gluteomorphin). These peptides are bio-active, meaning

that they interact with opiate receptors (proteins on the surface

membrane of cells in our bodies that mediate outside signals to

inside the cell). In most people, this is harmless; to some kids with

autism, it causes things like stimming, non-verbalization, lethargy

or aggression, non-socializing, etc. The point of the diet is to

eliminate casein/gluten so that these peptides are not produced.

Enzymes are thought to accomplish similar results, but in a different

way. If you disturb the precise cutting of casein/gluten, such as by

adding more or different kinds of protease enzymes, then the peptides

aren't produced. The ultimate goal (for me, anyway) is to find the

appropriate enzyme product and dosing which will allow some relief

from the difficult restrictions of the GFCF diet; until that is

accomplished, try the diet, and try supplementing with a good enzyme

supplement, preferably one that has DPP IV activity (which is one of

only two enzymes that can cut casomorphin into little pieces and make

it harmless). SerenAid and Peptizyde, I formulated both, contain DPP

IV, Peptizyde has appx. 50% more than SerenAid. EnzymAid has tested

out to have little or no DPP IV activity, but is very high in

bromelain, which can work to alter the cleavage of casein/gluten.

Hope this helps, keep reading the posts here, there is an abundance

of good information from a lot of parents who have been there.

P61 Question by Parent Posted: 2001-04-05 13:05:50

We will be trying Peptizyde. Earlier discussions seemed to indicate

that the new formulation will have better ability to digest the

casein. Will it also improve the gluten breakdown or will that part

be similar to the formulation of SerenAid? How does this compare to

other digestive aids for protein in the health food stores? Thanks.

P62 Reply by Dr. Devin Houston Posted: 2001-04-05 13:59:18 EST

The ability of Peptizyde to break down casein, gluten and other food

proteins is probably going to be about equal to that of SerenAid and

any other high-potency, protease-containing product; what makes

Peptizyde different from SerenAid and others is that it has more of

the peptidase enzyme containing DPP IV (dipeptidyl peptidase IV)

activity, about 50% more than SerenAid. This should make Peptizyde

better in breaking down any casomorphin/exorphins that may escape

into the gut or may be produced by normal and/or abnormal gut flora.

One concern I had as the formulator of SerenAid, was whether SerenAid

was " overkill " that is, did we put too many different types of

proteases and other enzymes in SerenAid? There was no attempt by

Klaire to fine-tune or optimize the formulation, which is a normal

part of research. The DPP IV activity was not emphasized until after

the formulation of SerenAid, my opinion is that this peptidase is

doing the bulk of the beneficial work provided by SerenAid, hence the

emphasis on DPP IV with Peptizyde.

As for what I've seen in health food stores, most are

papain/bromelain tablets (tableting is hard on enzyme stability) that

do not list activity units on the label, a sure sign that there is no

guarantee that the enzymes are active. Pricing is also a factor.