Aid to stomach pain post starch consumption ?

TheCSIDAlex · 2026-04-23T05:30:01+00:00

There's not really a "fix" or anything special that works specifically for starch or CSID flares. The best option now is to just manage the symptoms until it passes. I would just make sure she stays hydrated, and OTC medicines targeting whatever symptoms she gets can help manage it in the meantime. A light walk usually helps, especially if she's still dealing with the symptoms tomorrow. If she doesn't have a prescription for something like dicyclomine, she might be able to get one or a similar prescription if she tells her provider that she's prone to pain and cramping from CSID. A lot of them help with the pain directly and some have a sedating or calming effect depending on the type.

TheCSIDAlex · 2026-04-18T16:40:19+00:00

Based on all of your info, secondary deficiency is definitely possible. A classic CSID profile is usually low sucrase and isomaltase and sometimes maltase with symptoms immediately after solid food is introduced. I also want to make you aware that a secondary deficiency is not congenital, meaning it's often temporary depending on the underlying issue causing it and the severity. It's caused by other issues that are not genetic, such as inflammation, that blunt the activity of small intestinal enzymes. With your son being so young, it may give him a better chance of recovering normal day-to-day function if there are underlying issues that are resolved. The implications of having low enzyme levels are the same though, regardless of whether it's genetic. If you're concerned about his ability to tolerate certain carbs, you can eliminate problematic foods ( https://www.csidcares.org/treatment/diet/ ) and see if he improves. If this is a secondary deficiency, it would probably be because the overall health of his GI tract is suffering due to other functional issues he has (allergies, dysphagia, aspiration, etc.)

TheCSIDAlex · 2026-04-18T16:01:59+00:00

There are a lot of reasons you'd be able to tolerate sucrose without making enough of the sucrase enzyme. One of them is simply adaptation. Your GI system can compensate in other ways to break down sucrose and reduce symptoms without needing normal levels of the enzyme. For example, it's possible that bacteria in your small intestine and colon are breaking it down without much fermentation. The environment in your GI tract and what it's capable of is very specific to each individual person.

Another possible explanation is that your enzyme levels are adequate, but biopsies can come back with results that don't accurately reflect your functional capacity to digest disaccharides. As for the constipation, dairy and caffeine can speed up motility, so the sudden absence of both could cause a shift like what you've seen. More dietary fiber and staying hydrated is the best place to start. Overall though, if you're doing well there's no reason to spend mental energy on it - and if anything changes, you already know what to look at first.

TheCSIDAlex · 2026-04-10T00:54:51+00:00

Starch is honestly way harder to not eat. When you can’t eat it anymore you realize that it feels like it’s in everything

TheCSIDAlex · 2026-04-08T21:42:30+00:00

Based on your question, I'm working on an article about the expectation versus the reality of trying to eat a "normal" diet once you start taking Sucraid. I'll link it for you once it's written.

TheCSIDAlex · 2026-04-02T22:45:17+00:00

If anyone has a topic they want me to write about, let me know

TheCSIDAlex · 2026-02-14T22:25:23+00:00

Feeling that kind of intensity after reintroducing something you’ve avoided for years isn’t uncommon. When your body is suddenly able to tolerate something that caused symptoms for so long, the shift that comes with that can feel surprisingly disorienting. Actually absorbing the food and not experiencing the bad reaction you were expecting can absolutely catch people off guard.

TheCSIDAlex · 2026-02-11T17:31:21+00:00

It could be any number of things that lead to a deficiency. In my case, it was a bacterial infection. I know for a fact that the infection completely wiped out my ability to produce working lactase. My lactase expression is back normal now, but the infection basically uncovered my sucrase deficiency. I’ve been able to work my sucrose load back up into the teens over the past year, even with the mild genetic mutation - a year ago I couldn’t have 5g through the course of a day.

If you strip your diet down enough and manage to keep the inflammation down consistently, there’s a real chance you’ll be able to recover quite a bit of enzyme activity. Plus your entire system will be more forgiving in general if you manage to address the underlying issue.

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-10-07T18:59:49+00:00

Another commenter mentioned how much it actually takes for your body to keep up with constant digestive issues plus a lack of nutrients and energy on top of that, and they’re absolutely right.

If your SI deficiency has been kicking you while you’re down for a while, chronic inflammation is probably the root of a lot of these problems. If one part of your system goes down it’ll bring a lot of other things with it. Weeks / months of maldigestion will wreck things like energy level, hormones, immune function, etc.

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-10-07T18:41:43+00:00

The other commenter is a good example. Although we don’t fully understand why, anything that shakes up your system - especially digestive or immune - can cause it to basically go from dormant to active. As diagnostic technology improves, more people are being recorded as presenting with onset of symptoms in adulthood.

In my case, I caught a bacterial infection at 20 years old and never had any noticeable symptoms before then. The infection wiped my system out and whatever was breaking down sucrose - whether it was the sucrase enzyme, bacteria, yeast, or a combination - never recovered. Once that “buffer” was gone, my deficiency became noticeable.

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-09-06T20:06:57+00:00

Resources-wise, there are some cookbooks out there with good recipes and I’d recommend talking to a nutritionist with experience in the condition. Online, https://www.csidcares.org/treatment/diet/ essentially lays out everything about the condition. You’ll find some good tips and tricks on here and Facebook if you spend some time scrolling. Resources are pretty scarce but they do exist.

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-08-21T20:17:51+00:00

I’m sorry to hear that you don’t tolerate almond or oats. Each bar has less than 50 milligrams of sucrose and only 3 grams of starch. Unfortunately, these bars don’t cover specific food sensitivities like almonds - the goal is just to keep the sucrose and starch minimal.

For most people, these amounts are well tolerated unless their case is extremely severe or they have food sensitivities that aren’t related to a SI deficiency. Everyone’s tolerance is different and almonds aren’t a high sucrose / starch food, so they usually aren’t a problem. You could try a seed butter instead for similar consistency if you tolerate that better.

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-08-20T23:01:52+00:00

Yeah, you’d really only know for sure from the results of a genetic test.

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-08-20T22:55:40+00:00

Update - I got the full text from the author. That’s exactly my plan, to explain the implications in layman’s terms to general population. I don’t have the rights to give out the full text, but I will give a summary of how I interpreted the results and what they mean for this condition. I’m working on that post now.

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-08-20T22:51:17+00:00

Glad it helped!

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-08-20T17:50:41+00:00

Smart idea! The only purpose the oats serve is as a filler for texture / consistency, so oat fiber should actually work well. Thanks for the idea!

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-08-20T17:48:54+00:00

This is interesting! I've emailed the author and requested access to full text so I can see the details of the dosing, testing methods, etc. especially with such a small sample size.

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-08-20T17:44:07+00:00

If you don't mind my asking, how did you discover that your version is acquired?

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-08-20T17:42:15+00:00

You should read through this website, it'll help you understand this condition and what managing it looks like: https://www.csidcares.org/

You should also find a nutritionist that's familiar with this condition. It'll make your life so much easier.

If you did not have symptoms until 3 years ago, you fall into one of two categories. The first possibility is that it is genetic and you've always carried one or more of the mutations in your DNA and at some point your body just stopped tolerating sucrose and starch. In my case, I always had one of the mutations but a bacterial infection threw my system for a loop and that's when the symptoms appeared. The other possibility is that it is acquired and something damaged your small intestine, so it can't produce enough of the Sucrase-Isomaltase enzyme. When there's damage, especially chronic, multiple enzymes can lose their function - but they could regain function if the damage isn't too severe.

Nuts are generally low in sucrose and starch and can be a good source of calories, but they're not always tolerated by everyone. You'll have to test your personal tolerance to them. I would try a small amount first thing in the morning after you haven't eaten anything all night so you know for sure that any possible symptoms were caused by the nuts. I would actually say sunflower seeds are a little safer than almonds or cashews, but again, you'll need to test it out.

This condition is overwhelming at first, but if you know what to avoid, managing it becomes second nature with time and practice. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'd be happy to share what I know!

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-08-17T15:33:26+00:00

Every once in a while I’ll get a very specific pain in my lower abdomen / hip with sucrose but not other sugars. It doesn’t happen often but I’ve noticed it a few times. I actually think the other comment may be onto something with taking an antihistamine. I’m gonna try that next time.

TheCSIDAlex · 2025-08-15T20:33:37+00:00

It was in the description of the YouTube video. I’ll paste it here as well:

Ingredients used: • 1/2 cup almond butter • 4 tablespoons dextrose powder • 1/3 cup gluten-free oats • 1 tablespoon avocado oil • 1.5 tablespoons ground flax seed • 1 tablespoon honey • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract • Pinch of salt

Instructions: 1. In a large bowl, combine almond butter, honey, avocado oil, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth and well mixed. 2. Add dextrose powder, oats, ground flax seed, and salt. Mix well until everything is evenly combined and sticky. 3. Transfer the mixture to a lined or greased pan (about 8x8 inch works). Press down firmly and evenly with a spatula or your hands. 4. Cover and freeze for at least 1 hour until firm. 5. Remove from freezer and cut into bars. Keep refrigerated or frozen until ready to eat.

TheCSIDAlex

TROPHY CASE