Digestive Enzymes 101: The Ultimate Guide To A Happier, Healthier Gut
You eat a variety of food throughout the day. But have you wondered what it takes to digest all that? How do you get energy from food? The answer is digestive enzymes. They play a vital role in breaking down food and necessary nutrient absorption.
However, some people might have certain medical conditions that can hinder this natural process. If your healthcare provider has prescribed a digestive enzyme supplement, you’ll need to know a few important things.
This blog will help you understand what digestive enzymes are, the signs of digestive enzyme deficiency, and how digestive enzyme supplements work. Keep reading!
What Are Digestive Enzymes
Doctors and nutritionists often say digestion begins in the mouth. That’s true because when we eat, our saliva gets to work in breaking and absorbing the food. However, the real work is done by digestive enzymes produced in the small intestine, stomach, and pancreas.
As a matter of fact, the pancreas is the ultimate powerhouse of digestion. It produces the most vital digestive enzymes. Let’s quickly understand these enzymes and what they do.
- Amylase: A powerful digestive enzyme that helps break down carbs into sugar. Inadequate production of Amylase often causes diarrhea.
- Lipase: Along with liver bile, Lipase mainly breaks down fats. People reportedly suffering from vitamin deficiency, such as A, D, E, and K, can be deficient in Lipase.
- Protease: As hinted in the name, Protease breaks down proteins into amino acids. Additionally, it keeps bacteria at bay for the small intestines. Protease dere icy in people is often linked to toxicities in intestine or food allergies.
When the pancreas fails to produce any one of these enzymes adequately, your digestion takes a hit. Prolonged digestive enzyme deficiency can cause acute malnutrition, also known as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). In such cases, digestive enzyme supplements are often prescribed to be taken before meals. While most digestive enzyme supplements are prescription-based, some are also available as OTC medicines.
What Are The Common Symptoms of Digestive Enzyme Deficiency
Insufficient production of natural digestive enzymes causes gastrointestinal irritation. When prolonged, it matures to malnutrition, which can be a precursor to disorders like osteoporosis, anemia, blood clotting, and peripheral neuropathy. Some of the telltale signs of digestive enzyme deficiency include:
- Frequent cramps
- Stomach pain
- Diarrhea
- Unwanted weight loss
- Oily stools
- Gas and acidity
While these symptoms could be linked to other diseases, always talk to your healthcare provider if they persist too long. The human body can find it challenging to produce digestive enzymes when there are severe underlying conditions, like:
- Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency: It generally happens when the pancreas function is compromised due to a life-threatening condition like diabetes, cystic fibrosis, pancreatic cancer or chronic pancreatitis.
- Achlorhydria: This condition is due to insufficient stomach acid production, often triggered by conditions like hypothyroidism and stomach cancer.
- Genetic disorders: Some people are born without the salivary amylase. Pancreatic or salivary amylase.
- Surgery aftermaths: Complex procedures like gastric bypass surgeries involve removing parts of the digestive tract, which can disrupt digestive enzyme production.
In such extreme cases, doctors resort to prescribing digestive enzyme supplements to patients.
How Digestive Enzyme Supplements Help
Digestive enzyme supplements are external sources of enzymes that help break the food in the absence of natural digestive enzymes. They are prescribed to improve digestive complaints and nutrition disorders. Besides acute enzyme deficiency, the supplements ease the symptoms of functional dyspepsia and IBS.
But taking a digestive enzyme supplement alone won't help. The patient must adapt to some dietary and lifestyle changes to recover faster. The most commonly prescribed supplements include pancreatic enzymes (prescription medications) and lactase (available as OTC).
Whether as a prescription drug or an OTC, the most common digestive enzyme supplements are often derived from sources like:
- Papain (extract of papayas)
- Bromelain (extracted from pineapples)
- Trypsin and Chymotrypsin (extracted from fungi and the pancreas of pigs)
- Amylase, Lipase, and Lactase (extracted from fungi)
It's good to know: If you're prescribed a digestive enzyme supplement, always refer to its source. Some people may have known allergies, like those caused by pineapples or papayas. So, speak to your doctor to get an alternative.
While a digestive enzyme supplement is generally safe, some people may experience some side effects, like nausea, loose stool, and abdominal pain. If they continue for over a week, stop the medicine and contact your healthcare provider.
Read more about Digestive Enzyme Benefit
The Bottom Line
Digestive enzymes break down the food and help in nutrient absorption. When our body fails to produce digestive enzymes naturally, doctors prescribe digestive enzyme supplements. In most cases, the enzyme deficiency could be due to an underlying disorder or unhealthy diet. While digestive enzyme supplements are also available as OTC, one should always consult a healthcare provider before consuming them.
FAQs:
Are there any foods that contain digestive enzymes?
Yes! There are some foods that, in their natural state, contain digestive enzymes, like oats (having lipase), kiwis (containing actinidin), and honey (having amylase).
Are Probiotics and Digestive Enzyme Supplements The Same?
No! Probiotics and digestive enzymes are different. Probiotics introduce good bacteria in your gut. On the other hand, digestive enzyme supplements are medicines that are given in the absence of natural digestive enzyme production in your body. Probiotics, unlike digestive enzyme supplements, can't break down food for nutrient absorption.