Everything you need to know about digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes. We’re betting you’ve heard of them, have a vague idea that they’re good, and wonder if you should be taking them. But this is one area where we also see a lot of confusion. Supplementation of any sort without knowing what or why you’re doing what you’re doing can be just as detrimental to your health as doing nothing at all. So before you stock up on papain and bromelaine, let’s get the complete low- down on all things digestive enzymes from today’s guest expert, Dr. Tim Gerstmar of Aspire Natural Health. What are digestive enzymes, and why are they so important? We eat food, but our digestive system doesn’t absorb food, it absorbs nutrients. Digestive enzymes, primarily produced* in the pancreas and small intestine, break down our food into nutrients so that our bodies can absorb them.*They’re also made in saliva glands and stomach, but we’re not going to focus on those here. If we don’t have enough digestive enzymes, we can’t break down our food—which means even though we’re eating well, we aren’t absorbing all that good nutrition. What would cause digestive enzymes to stop working correctly in the body? First, diseases may prevent proper digestive enzyme production. Pancreatic problems, including cystic fibrosis, pancreatic cancer, and acute or chronic pancreatitis. Brush border dysfunction, the most severe is long standing Celiac disease, where the brush border is flattened or destroyed. Other diseases like Crohn’s can also cause severe problems. But even in the absence of any obvious disease, things still may not be working properly. Low- grade inflammation in the digestive tract (such as that caused by “food allergies,” intestinal permeability, dysbiosis, parasitic infection, etc.) can lead to deficiencies in digestive enzymes. Aging has been associated with decreased digestive function, though I personally wonder if this is a result of aging, or aging badly. Low stomach acid—we’ll talk about this more in a future article, but if you have low stomach acid, it’s likely that you won’t have adequate digestive enzymes either. Chronic stress. This is the most common reason for digestive enzyme problems. Our body has two modes: sympathetic “fight or flight,” and parasympathetic “rest and digest.” When we’re in “fight or flight” mode, digestive is given a very low priority, which means digestive function (including digestive enzyme output) is dialed down. In my previous article, I talked about gut bacteria, which may not be in perfect balance with a Paleo diet alone. Improper digestion is another issue that diet alone may not solve. Managing chronic stress is vitally important to restoring healthy digestive function. Most of us are cramming food in our faces at our desks or while we’re on the go, then we’re off to do the next thing on our list. We live most of our lives in sympathetic mode—and aren’t giving a high priority to properly digesting our food. When we sit down to eat food, we should switch into a parasympathetic mode, and ideally stay in parasympathetic mode for a while afterwards. Think long European meals, followed by a siesta. Many traditional medical doctors are unlikely to run these tests, and they may not be covered by insurance. If you’d like to run one of these tests, seek out a qualified alternative provider who you trust. Other symptoms that suggest you might have problems with digestive enzymes are: Gas and bloating after meals. The sensation that you have food sitting in your stomach (a rock in your gut)Feeling full after eating a few bites of food. Undigested food in your stool*Floating stools (an occasional floating piece is fine, but if all your poop consistently floats, that might be a sign something is wrong)An “oil slick” in the toilet bowl (undigested fat)The good news is that since digestive enzymes are very safe and reasonably cheap, you can always try them and see if you notice any difference in your digestion.*If you’re serious about your health, I encourage you to periodically look at your poop—it’s one of the simplest ways you can gain insight into your health. Take a glance a few times a week. If there’s a significant change, have a talk with your doctor; it could be a sign of something going on. What kinds of digestive enzyme should I take? There are a variety of digestive enzymes on the market, including single enzyme and multiple enzyme. Without testing, I typically recommend a mixed enzyme to cover your bases. As with all supplements, you’re looking for brands that meet the following criteria: Quality/Price: Buying cheap supplements is almost always a waste of money—you’re almost never going to get the benefit you’re looking for. Two over- the- shelf companies are Jarrow and NOW Foods. How Active Is Your Digestive Enzyme Supplement? Discover What Labels Won't Tell You. See CL's Results Now! What formulations of oral digestive enzymes are available? Oral, delayed release capsules are enteric coated to help prevent the capsules from breaking down in the. Digestive enzymes are secreted along the gastrointestinal tract and break down the food in the body so that the nutrients can be absorbed. Enzymes are present in the. BodyZyme is a potent systemic enzyme. Enzymes are protein based substances found in every cell of every plant and animal. This article examines the effects of probiotics on weight loss. Several studies suggest that they can help you lose weight and belly fat. A couple of . Fruit sourced (isolated from papaya or pineapple) work well for some people, but tend to be the weakest digestive enzyme supplement, and aren’t sufficient for people who need more support. Animal sourced (typically listed as pancreatin) are not for vegetarians or vegans, and can have issues with stability. They work really well for some people, but typically are not the forms I’m using. These are the ones I most commonly use. Multiple enzymes: Most people are going to benefit from a multi- enzyme product, so you’ll want to see a number of enzymes listed, including proteases (which break down proteins), lipases (which break down fats), and carbohydrases (such as amylase, which break down carbohydrates). Look at the labels of the products linked above for specifics—there are a ton of enzymes, but your product should include at least some from these labels. Strength/potency listed: Enzymes are rated on various scales (which are too complicated to go into here), but you want to see numbers beside each enzyme showing their strength. If it’s just a proprietary formula without strengths listed, be cautious—it usually means a weak product. Ingredients: As with all supplements, you want to see all the ingredients listed. And you especially want to see what ingredients are not in the product like gluten, dairy, etc. If it doesn’t say “contains no: sugar, salt, wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, shellfish or preservatives,” you need to assume that it does. Some people make a big deal of timing, but my bottom line is just to get them in around the time you’re eating. Most people find it easiest to pop them just before they sit down to eat, but anytime within about 3. If you have a high quality product, most people need 1- 2 capsules with their major meals. If not, try increasing your dose slowly, by one pill per meal, giving it at least a 3 days (and up to a week) to evaluate how things are working. Dr. Tim Gerstmar is a Seattle- based Naturopath who specializes in treating complex chronic diseases – those issues that leave most other doctors stumped. His area of expertise is in digestive health. He uses clinical nutrition (primarily Paleo, Weston A. Price and GAPS) and lifestyle counseling, botanical medicine (herbs), functional medicine, homeopathy in his practice. You can learn more about Dr. Gerstmar and Aspire Natural Health at http: //aspirenaturalhealth. Facebook (http: //facebook. Aspire. Natural. Health) or Twitter, @Dr. Tim. Gerstmar. ND. While many people supplement their diet with these enzymes. If you are taking digestive enzymes, you may have noticed two things: first, you digest better when taking them and second, you begin to realize that you are becoming. There is much you can do to help lower your elevated liver enzymes naturally, including dietary changes, herbal cleanses and probiotic supplementation.
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