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It goes without saying that proper digestion is pretty important. After all, we’ve all experienced the difficulties a bout of poor digestion can bring—fatigue, bloating, moodiness, and even depression. It can also be frustratingly challenging to fix. What’s a person to do when their body’s digestive process isn’t working as efficiently as it should?
Taking digestive enzymes may provide a much-needed fix. To learn more about how, we tapped Dr. Sepp B. Fegerl, the Deputy Medical Director at Buff Medical Resort, and Dr. Nathan Price, chief scientific officer at Thorne. Here, the health experts explain what to know about digestive enzymes.
What are digestive enzymes?
First, let’s talk about enzymes in general. Enzymes are protein molecules that enable the chemical processes essential for all forms of life. “They accelerate transformations that allow cells and living organisms to digest, defend themselves, repair themselves, and multiply,” Dr. Fegerl explains. “Without them, life would be impossible.”
The job of digestive enzymes is to break food down into smaller particles that our cells can absorb. “A digestive enzyme is a protein our bodies produce that aids in the digestion of food by breaking down carbohydrates, proteins, and fat molecules into smaller, absorbable units,” Dr. Price adds. They can be naturally found in saliva, digestive enzymes start breaking down food from the moment it passes our lips.
There are different types of enzymes specific to different nutrients, including:
- protease for proteins
- lipase for fats
- amylase for carbohydrates
- lactase for lactose
- sucrase for sucrose
How do digestive enzymes work?
Digestive enzymes act a bit like specialized scissors in the gastrointestinal tract, cutting nutrients into small particles for absorption. This allows the nutrients to be further metabolized in our bodies. Digestive enzymes are produced by the salivary glands, the stomach, the small intestine, the pancreas, and the liver. “These digestive glands work best in biologically friendly environmental conditions,” explains Fegerl.
Many digestive enzymes need an alkaline environment to be chemically active—especially those that digest proteins and fats. Thus, to digest properly, we need to consume a good amount of alkaline substances via foods such as vegetables, certain fruits, and healthy oils. (Foods like raw honey, mangoes, bananas, papaya, avocados, and fermented foods contain built-in digestive enzymes.)
“Digestive enzymes provide many benefits for the digestive system, but also and overall body health,” says Dr. Price. “This includes, of course, support for indigestion, but also minimizing gas and bloating, and maintaining bowel regularity. They can also help support those who have food sensitivities as well as optimize the absorption of essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.”
What are the symptoms of digestive enzyme deficiency?
However, sometimes things get out of whack. “If we drink too much alcohol, get too stressed, or eat poorly, we might not produce the maximum amount of enzymes,” Fegerl says. “This can lead to poor digestion and set off a chain of unwelcome events.” Dr. Price adds that anybody who has lost their gallbladder must take digestive enzymes because that is where many are produced.
For example, undigested nutrients in the intestinal tract are metabolized by gut microbes. The microbiome converts sugars and starches into alcohol, acids, and gases through fermentation. Fats and proteins are broken down and transformed into biogenic amines and toxins, which, when unbalanced, can potentially lead to systemic intoxication and inflammation. “This can massively affect our quality of life, leading us to feel sick, inflamed, lethargic, and unhappy,” says Fegerl.
Who should take digestive enzymes?
- Anyone who suffers from a hereditary, genetically-determined digestive enzyme limitation, like lactose or fructose intolerance. In these cases, supplementation of the relevant enzymes at meals can help avoid poor digestion, disorders, and inflammation.
- Adults over the age of 40 may benefit from adding digestive enzymes to some of their meals. As we age, the variety and number of digestive enzymes produced decreases.
- Anyone under stress. Taking digestive enzymes with meals can be helpful during periods of intense work, intensive physical training, travel, or during post-surgical and post-illness recovery.
How long should you take digestive enzymes?
“From a medical point of view, there is no time limit on taking digestive enzymes with meals if you feel well and they do not irritate the intestines,” says Fegerl, noting that it is possible to develop an intolerance or allergy to them. “However, they are usually tolerated very well. My advice: Do without them from time to time, because the body is normally able to produce them in reasonable quantities if you adopt the right eating habits.”
What s the difference between digestive enzymes and probiotics?
“The biggest difference between digestive enzymes and probiotics is that digestive enzymes are non-living proteins that break down food while probiotics are living microorganisms that balance and restore microbiota in the gut,” Dr. Fisher says. “Digestive enzymes are great to take after a meal heavy in fat or red meat, or when eating foods that frequently cause gas and bloating, while probiotics are more of an everyday gut support supplement.”
Tips for better digestion
It’s important to remember that digestion is a process that begins as soon as we begin eating. Solid foods must essentially be transformed into liquids, and chewing is a very important part of that process. Taking digestive enzyme supplements without chewing your food properly in the first place will negate their benefit.
Additionally, there are other things you can do to help the digestive process do its thing. “Drinking enough water, using healthy cooking methods, eating calmly without distraction, and stopping when you’re full are all important,” notes Fegerl. “We must practice a healthy lifestyle: good sleep, gentle physical activity, and a positive outlook.”
