Enzymes for better digestion -
Their job is to break down the food into nutrient pieces until they are small enough for the bloodstream to absorb them. Some people take additional enzymes in the form of dietary supplements. For many of the 1 in 5 Americans who have IBS, common medications do not always provide relief.
As a result, doctors often recommend lifestyle changes as the first form of treatment. Lifestyle changes include exercising regularly, reducing stress , and modifying the diet to remove trigger foods. A healthcare professional may prescribe medications for diarrhea , constipation , and stomach pain to treat the symptoms of IBS.
Specific digestive enzymes take their name from what they break down. For example, the enzyme lactase helps the body break down lactose, a sugar found in milk and other dairy products. There are different classes of enzymes that doctors group according to the chemical process they use. For example, doctors consider all digestive enzymes hydrolases because they use water molecules to break down food into its basic building blocks.
One older study found that when individuals who frequently suffered from diarrhea after meals took the enzyme pancrelipase PEZ before eating, they reported a reduction in their symptoms. A study of 50 people with IBS tested the effects of the supplement Biointol — a combination of digestive enzymes, fiber, and sugar.
The researchers compared these patients to a control group of 40 people with IBS who did not take the supplement. The results showed that Biointol reduced symptoms for the group of 50, such as bloating, gas, and abdominal pain, compared with the control group. A study compared the effects of Asacol , an anti-inflammatory drug that doctors often use as a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease IBD , and Biointol.
In this study, researchers gave Asacol to a group of people with IBS and IBD, and Asacol and Biointol to a second group. After four weeks, the group taking the combination reported fewer symptoms, such as bloating and gas, than the group taking only Asacol.
Because many people with IBS have problems digesting specific foods, it is possible that taking digestive enzyme supplements known to help the body digest these foods will reduce symptoms. Research has shown that when dairy products trigger IBS symptoms, taking the digestive enzyme lactase before a person consumes dairy products increases their tolerance to these foods.
PEZ, which can help the body digest fats, sugars, and proteins, has the commercial name Creon. It is a combination of lipase, protease, and amylase, which are enzymes that the pancreas produces. Doctors may prescribe PEZ for individuals who have a poorly functioning or damaged pancreas. Older research suggests that it is important to note whether digestive enzyme supplements are made from animal or microbial sources because that can significantly affect the potency of the medication.
Some people may experience side effects. A person should always talk with a healthcare professional before taking a new supplement. It is always best to take digestive enzymes, or any supplement, only after consultation with a doctor. It is possible a doctor may prescribe a prescription-strength enzyme.
Prescription-strength enzymes are very different from OTC supplements. Your diet may be deficient in plant enzymes, as they are destroyed with cooking or heating over ° F. While on one hand cooking can make foods easier to digest, on the other it can deplete the innate enzymes that help us break down the nutrients.
A diet high in cooked, processed, or not-fresh raw foods does not provide the plant enzymes required to help your own digestive juices break down nutrients for absorption.
Taking plant enzymes with meals can support your digestive capacity, increase absorption and decrease digestive symptoms. Unlike conventional digestive aids, plant enzymes not only ease unpleasant digestive symptoms — such as nausea, diarrhea, upset stomach and inflammation — but they also help our bodies absorb nutrients better.
The result is improved digestion, higher nutrient absorption and a healthier body that is less susceptible to infection, fatigue and degenerative diseases.
A: Plant enzymes are naturally found in plants, and start working as soon as you start chewing your food. In supplement form, they are produced by various types of fungi. Supplemental pancreatic enzymes are sourced from pigs, therefore not compatible with vegan or vegetarian diets. A: Antacids can provide temporary symptomatic relief, but are actually negatively affecting your digestive function by bringing up the pH in your stomach.
This decreases your absorption, without addressing the reason for the discomfort. Taking plant enzymes actually increases digestion, getting rid of the cause of the pain.
Q: What turns on the plant enzymes in my body? A: Heat, proper pH, and moisture. Body temperature is ideal for turning on enzymes but they are destroyed at temperatures over oF, which includes most of our cooking. Plant enzymes can be active with pH levels from 3 to 7, which corresponds with most areas of your digestive tract.
And water from chewing and saliva provides H2O for adding to the new smaller molecules. Ideally, all those are the norm when you eat, turning on the plant enzymes well. Q: What does the pH range signify? Why is it so broad? A: pH is the measurement of acid strength. Throughout your digestive tract, the pH varies, from pH of 2 in the stomach to pH of 8 in the duodenum.
Q: How else can I increase my nutrient absorption? A: Eat mindfully. Stop and pay attention to the smells, get your mouth salivating. Chew, chew, chew. Eat slowly. Eat meals or snacks, but avoid grazing. Avoid eating at least 2 hours before bed, and take 12 hours off without food overnight.
These are all simple techniques to help our digestive system turn on more effectively. However, on a recent trip to France, I was running out of lactose pills and the pharmacist told me to take their French digestive enzymes instead.
So very happy I did! This was the first natural health product I was ever introduced to and it improved my digestion so much that it made me open up to many of their other supplements to improve other areas of health. Such a game changing product. Hi there! Thank you so much for the feedback! Happy to hear that the product has helped you with digestion : Thank you!
Treatment for Lactose Intolerance. Levine B, Weisman S. Enzyme replacement as an effective treatment for the common symptoms of complex carbohydrate intolerance.
Nutr Clin Care. Park SY, Rew JS. Is lipase supplementation before a high fat meal helpful to patients with functional dyspepsia? Gut Liver. Levine ME, Koch SY, Koch KL. Lipase supplementation before a high-fat meal reduces perceptions of fullness in healthy subjects. Increasing Symptoms in Irritable Bowel Symptoms With Ingestion of Galacto-Oligosaccharides Are Mitigated by [alpha]-Galactosidase Treatment.
Money ME, Walkowiak J, Virgilio C, et al. Pilot study: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial of pancrealipase for the treatment of postprandial irritable bowel syndrome-diarrhoea. Frontline Gastroenterology. Achufusi TGO, Sharma A, Zamora EA, Manocha D. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth: Comprehensive review of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment methods.
Lin MY, Dipalma JA, Martini MC, Gross CJ, Harlander SK, Savaiano DA. Comparative effects of exogenous lactase beta-galactosidase in preparations on in vivo lactose digestion. Dig Dis Sci. Edakkanambeth Varayil J, Bauer BA, Hurt RT. Over-the-counter enzyme supplements: what a clinician needs to know.
Mayo Clinic Proc;89 9 doi: Majeed M, Majeed S, Nagabhushanam K, et al. Evaluation of the Safety and Efficacy of a Multienzyme Complex in Patients with Functional Dyspepsia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.
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Editor's Note Our team of registered dietitians reviews and evaluates every single supplement we recommend according to our dietary supplement methodology. Our Top Picks. Best Overall:.
Best for Fructose Intolerance:. Best for Histamine Intolerance:. Best for Lactose Intolerance:. Best for Gas from Vegetables:.
Best for Chronic Indigestion:. In This Article Expand. Our Picks. Will You Benefit from a Digestive Enzyme Supplement? Who May Not Benefit from Over-the-Counter Digestive Enzymes.
How We Select Supplements. What to Look For. Digestive Enzymes We Do Not Recommend. Tips for Using Digestive Enzymes Effectively. Why Trust Verywell Health. Best Overall. Microbiome Labs FODMATE Digestive Enzymes.
Pros For low-FODMAP diet, IBS, active SIBO Broad spectrum for multiple intolerances Convenient capsule form. Cons Less widely available More expensive.
Best for Fructose Intolerance. Fructaid Enzyme Supplement. Pros For fructose intolerance associated with IBS and active SIBO Can be taken as a pill or mixed into liquid Adjustable dosage based on amount of fructose intake.
Cons More expensive Not appropriate for Hereditary Fructose Intolerance HFI. Best for Histamine Intolerance.
Seeking Health Histamine Block. Pros Can help avoid large dietary restriction Convenient capsule form For histamine intolerance, histamine-blocking medications, MCAS, some cases of SIBO. Cons More expensive May not fully alleviate symptoms.
Best for Lactose Intolerance. Kirkland Fast-Acting Lactase Enzyme. Pros For lactose intolerance Convenient travel packets Fast-acting and no added ingredients More affordable.
Cons Less widely available. The 8 Best Over-the-Counter Gas Medicines to Help You Relieve Pain and Bloating. Best for Gas from Vegetables. ValuePricedMeds Bean-zyme.
Pros Good for sensitivity to some vegetables, FODMAP sensitivities, IBS, constipation, and active SIBO Convenient tablet form More affordable. Cons May interact with diabetes medication. The 10 Best Antacids To Fend off Heartburn, According to Doctors.
Best for Chronic Indigestion. Enzymedica Digest Gold With ATPro. Cons Limited research. The 9 Best Iron Supplements of A digestive enzyme supplement may be beneficial for the following individuals: Those with lactose intolerance: Lactase enzyme supplement Lactose intolerance is when your body does not produce enough of the enzyme lactase needed to break down lactose the sugar naturally found in milk and milk products.
Taking a lactase enzyme supplement can be helpful if you have lactose intolerance and want to eat lactose-containing foods. Those with fiber-rich diets who experience bloating: Alpha-galactosidase supplement If you regularly consume legumes e.
Alpha-galactosidase is a supplemental enzyme derived from yeast that can break down GOS when taken with a meal.
A very small amount of research also suggests that lipase supplementation, the fat-digesting enzyme, may also be of help to those with IBS. Those with active untreated small intestinal bacterial overgrowth SIBO : individual digestive enzymes or FODMAP enzyme cocktail supplement If you have active SIBO , the bacteria in your small intestine can interact with FODMAPs and cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms, including gas, bloating, and diarrhea.
Low-FODMAP diets are often recommended until SIBO is treated. Short-term supplementation with individual digestive enzymes or a "cocktail" mix of multiple enzymes may help with the digestion of FODMAP-rich foods, such as lactose, fructose, or GOS.
Those with histamine intolerance: diamine oxidase DAO supplement The body relies on an enzyme called diamine oxidase DAO to break down histamine, a naturally occurring substance found in certain foods such as aged cheese, canned fish, spinach, and eggplant.
However, if you have a DAO deficiency or you take in more histamine than DAO can break down, you may experience a variety of digestive symptoms, including diarrhea, bloating, skin reactions, and chest tightness.
In some cases, delayed reactions can occur and may be worse during allergy season. Those with MAST cell activation syndrome MCAS or those on medications that block DAO are more likely to have histamine intolerance.
In addition to histamine-blocking medications and dietary histamine avoidance, you may use supplemental DAO to help break down histamine in the body.
Those with fat sensitivity: possible lipase supplement If your pancreas is working normally, but high-fat foods e.
Limited research has shown that symptoms may improve if you supplement with lipase before a high-fat meal, though more data is needed to create standardized recommendations. Those with functional dyspepsia FD : Potential lipase supplement Functional dyspepsia is a condition where you have indigestion without a clear cause.
While there is no enzyme deficiency with this condition, a small amount of research has shown the benefit of taking lipase before fat-rich meals. Those unable to restrict their diet: Appropriately selected enzyme for intolerance While the surest way to feel your best after a meal is to avoid the foods that are known to trigger your digestive symptoms, there are a variety of reasons why diet restriction is not possible.
In these cases, an appropriately selected enzyme for your intolerance can offer a key tool for dietary freedom. For some people, a limited diet while eating out, traveling, or at social functions may be impractical or stressful, while for others, long-term dietary restriction is not recommended.
For example, those with food intolerances that are in recovery from an eating disorder may benefit from having a digestive aid instead of cutting foods out of their diet.
Those who have strong cultural ties to certain foods may also benefit from a supplement to help digest a food that is an important part of their diet and heritage. Who May Not Benefit from Over-the-Counter Digestive Enzymes If you do not have digestive symptoms, an enzyme supplement is unlikely to provide a noticeable benefit.
Additionally, certain digestive enzyme supplements may not be safe for: Those with a genetic condition called galactosemia avoid alpha-galactosidase Those who take diabetes medications, such as Precose acarbose Those who are pregnant or lactating Some conditions require prescription enzyme replacement therapy.
If you have any of the following conditions, work with a healthcare provider to determine the best treatment option: Pancreatic insufficiency: The pancreas makes key digestive enzymes—protease, amylase, and lipase. A condition called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency causes a deficiency in these enzymes, resulting in poor nutrient digestion, particularly of fat.
Enzymrs enzymes are proteins Enzymes for better digestion help break down food into bftter parts Enzynes your body betted Enzymes for better digestion use the nutrients. The enzymes are produced Thyroid Fortifying Products different parts of the digestive system, including the mouth, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine. Some people have problems making or using digestive enzymes. This can lead to nutrient deficiencies and other health conditions. In these cases, they may use prescription or over-the-counter OTC digestive enzyme products to supplement their levels.
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