I understand that there's a meal replacement drink that IBD sufferers
can take to give their digestive systems a bit of a break. Can you
find out what it's called and whether it's available dairy-free.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 16 Jan 2004 13:28 PST

Have you tried Nestle's Modulen IBD?

"Modulen IBD is the only nutrition alternative specifically designed
for people with Crohn's disease. It is good-tasting, well-tolerated,
easy-to-drink and supports weight gain and improved nutritional
status. Its nutritional profile is specially designed to help minimize
the inflammatory effects associated with Crohn's disease."

http://www.modulenibd.com/parents/aboutmodulen.html

Modulen IBD is lactose-free. It is not totally dairy-free, since it
contains casein and milk fat.

If this is the meal replacement product that you've heard about, I'll
be glad to gather some more information about it. If this is not the
correct product, I'll keep looking.

---

Clarification of Question by mouldy-ga on 17 Jan 2004 04:45 PST

Modulen IBD sounds like just the thing. Would I be right in assuming
it's the lactose that's the most common allergen in milk. I've been
diagnosed as having a diary intolerance.

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 17 Jan 2004 18:45 PST

Lactose is indeed the main problem for most people who cannot tolerate
dairy products. However, you may want to check with your
gastroenterologist before trying a product such as Modulen IBD, since
it contains some ingredients that are derived from milk products.

If you'd like me to answer your question by gathering further
information on Modulen IBD, I'll be pleased to do so. I am not aware
of any other over-the-counter product that is specifically designed as
a meal replacement for those with Crohn's and other forms of
inflammatory bowel disease.

---

Clarification of Question by mouldy-ga on 18 Jan 2004 02:04 PST

Yes, please go ahead and gather any further information that you can -
but don't worry too much, as I think you've done enough to earn the
fee already.

Thanks.

As I mentioned above, Nestlé Modulen IBD is a meal replacement that
has been specially designed for those who suffer from inflammatory
bowel disease (IBD).

"Modulen IBD is the only beverage specifically designed to address
your need for a good-tasting and easy-to-mix complete nutrition drink.
Modulen IBD may help you maintain or gain weight and feel better.
Because Modulen IBD features great Nestlé taste, you can easily drink
enough to meet your nutritional goals and avoid tube feeding.

In addition to great taste, Modulen IBD offers the flexibility you
need. Coming in a convenient powder, it can be mixed to varying
caloric concentrations to meet your nutrition goals. In addition,
Modulen IBD is lactose- and gluten-free.

Some doctors and dietitians may recommend Modulen IBD in addition to
your regular meals 2-4 times per day. Others may recommend using
Modulen IBD for complete nutrition support, while not eating other
foods for several weeks during a flare-up. You and your healthcare
professional will decide what is best for you."

Nestlé Modulen IBD
http://www.modulenibd.com/adults/aboutmodulen.html

If you'd like to give Modulen IBD a try, you can order a full-sized
sample for a charge of $5 (postage & handling). This provides eight
servings, plus six flavor packets:

Nestlé Modulen IBD
https://modulenibd.securedcenter.com/sampler.asp

Before using this product, you will want to be certain that your dairy
intolerance does not extend to acid casein, which is an ingredient of
Modulen IBD. Many who cannot tolerate dairy products are
lactose-intolerant; such individuals may be able to consume other
milk-source substances without difficulty. However, casein can cause
problems in certain people. Here's some info on casein:

About Allergies: Casein
http://allergies.about.com/cs/casein/a/aa122099a.htm

You may wonder why casein is included in Modulen IBD. The reason is
that casein is a natural source of a substance called Transforming
Growth Factor Beta 2 (TGF-ß2). TGF-ß2 may have beneficial properties
associated with the regulation of inflammation in the gastrointestinal
tract.

"Modulen is a nutritionally complete whole protein feed, clinically
proven to achieve remission in Crohn's disease...

Nutritional profile: 1kcal/ml: 3.6g protein/100ml, 25% of fat present
as MCT, clinically nil lactose.

Protein source is casein which is naturally rich in TGF-ß2, which is
known to have anti-inflammatory properties, promoting healing of the
gut wall."

Nestlé Clinical Nutrition
http://www.nestleclinical.co.uk/Modulen.htm

Modulen IBD was developed especially for IBD patients. There are other
meal replacements on the market which can help provide a "food
holiday" with full nutritional support during periods of exacerbation
of inflammatory bowel disease. Among these are "elemental nutrient
formula" (ENF) products such as Alpha ENF:

"Alpha ENF can provide complete daily nutrition. In many digestive
tract diseases, Alpha ENF can supply partial or complete nutrition
with a minimal digestive effort and little risk of food allergy or
intolerance."
 
Nutramed: Alpha ENF
http://www.nutramed.com/alphaenf/completenutrition.htm

Alpha ENF does not contain any ingredients derived from cow's milk.

Here you'll find more information on the use of Alpha ENF by IBD sufferers:

Alpha Nutrition: Crohn's Disease Alpha Nutrition Rescue   
http://www.alphanutrition.com/crohnsdisease/alphacrohns.htm

Alpha Nutrition: Alpha ENF Food Holiday 
http://www.alphanutrition.com/alphaenf/alphaenfholiday.htm

Other ENF products that you might want to investigate:

Vivonex Plus:

"VIVONEX PLUS is a high-nitrogen, low fat, elemental (100% free amino
acids) diet for total enteral nutrition. Additional free glutamine (10
g/L), enhanced arginine and branched-chain amino acid contents make it
especially useful in stressed, catabolic patients. VIVONEX PLUS may be
used post-operatively as an enteral alternative to TPN and may also
benefit patients with gastrointestinal impairment."

Novartis Nutrition: Vivonex Plus
http://www.novartisnutrition.com/us/productDetail?id=20&source=summary

AlitraQ:

"ALITRAQ is an elemental formula specifically designed for
metabolically stressed patients with impaired GI function. ALITRAQ
helps maintain nutritional status and provides supplemental glutamine
to nourish the GI tract and help restore glutamine depleted during
catabolic states. Glutamine is thought to be a conditionally essential
nutrient during situations of metabolic stress."

Ross Nutritional Products
http://rpdcon40.ross.com/mn/Ross+MN+Nutritional+Products.nsf/web_Ross.com_XML/B484EC010367B8568525645700671E3A?OpenDocument

Please keep in mind that Google Answers is not a source of
authoritative medical advice. The information I've presented above
shouldn't be viewed as a diagnosis, nor as a substitute for the
services of a physician.

Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: "modulen ibd"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22modulen+ibd

Google Web Search: "enf" + "nutrition"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=enf+nutrition

I hope this information is useful! If anything is unclear, or if a
link doesn't work for you, please request clarification; I'll be glad
to offer further assistance before you rate my answer.

Best wishes,
pinkfreud

Excellent answer - very thorough and very prompt.

Thank you for the five-star rating and the generous tip!

~pinkfreud

In case anyone is curious about the taste of Modulen IBD, I received
my sample package, with an assortment of six flavor packets:
Chocolate, Orange Dream, Irish Cream, French Vanilla, and Cappuccino.
The French Vanilla and Orange Dream were very nice. I didn't care for
the Chocolate or the Cappuccino. The Irish Cream was kind of yucky,
but that's just my personal view on the matter. ;-)

All in all, Modulen IBD is fairly tasty, and it was well-tolerated by
my finicky gastrointestinal system.