Description
Digestive enzymes are enzymes you can take to improve digestion and food absorption. They can be taken as a supplement.
Different body organs produce digestive enzymes – the mouth, stomach, small intestine, and pancreas.
Examples of digestive enzymes include amylase, lipase, and protease.
Possible Benefits
- Helps with digestion. Digestive enzymes assist your body in breaking down complex foods like milk sugar (lactose) [1].
- Prevent nutritional deficiencies by increasing nutrient absorption [2].
- Digestive enzymes can aid in treating a leaky gut in people with celiac disease [3].
- Reduces irritable bowel syndrome symptoms by preventing bloating, gas issues, and loose stools [4].
- Improve nutrient absorption and assimilation. This can help increase your energy levels [5].
- Digestive enzymes lead to a healthy gut. This reduces inflammation and thus prevents chronic fatigue and pain [6].
- Improves acid reflux [7].
Required Equipment
- Capsules
- Tablet
- Powder
- Oil
- Chewable candies
How to Do It
You can consume digestive enzymes in their natural form (found in food) or manufactured (supplements). Foods containing natural digestive enzymes are:
- Mangoes and bananas - amylase
- Avocadoes - lipase
- Honey - amylase and protease
- Pawpaw – protease
- Sauerkraut/fermented cabbage
NOTE: consult with your doctor before taking digestive enzymes supplements.
Why it works
- Amylase helps to break down complex carbs and starches into simple molecules – glucose, fructose, and galactose [10].
- Lipase aids in digesting fat into small fatty acid molecules.
- Protease works on protein to release simpler amino acids.
Time Commitment
5 minutes
Suggested Frequency
Everyday
Time of Day
Taken with food (meals and snacks)
Possible Side Effects
Some of the possible side effects of digestive enzymes supplements are:
- Stomach upset
- Heartburn
- Stomach pain and gas
- Constipation and or diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Headache
- Neck pain
- Cough
- Stuffy nose
- Sore throat
- Allergic reactions
Related Products
Probiotics
Tips
- Digestive enzymes improve digestion and absorption in people with insufficient enzymes [8].
- They are also not recommended for kids below 4 years.
- Pregnant and nursing mothers should not consume digestive enzymes without consulting professional practitioners.
Supporting Studies and Articles
Expand Collapse- https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-are-digestive-enzymes#1
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-digestive-enzymes-1945036
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/digestive-enzyme
- https://draxe.com/nutrition/digestive-enzymes/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency/the-role-of-digestive-enzymes-in-gi-disorders
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/gut-reaction-a-limited-role-for-digestive-enzyme-supplements
- https://www.integrativepro.com/articles/digestive-enzymes-amylase-protease-lipase
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6143542/
- https://pancreasfoundation.org/patient-information/ailments-pancreas/exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency-epi/
- https://health.clevelandclinic.org/digestive-enzymes-101-why-theyre-important/
