Digestive enzymes are one of the most commonly used supplements for digestive problems. People take them for bloating, gas, indigestion, food sensitivities, reflux, and all kinds of digestive symptoms. And sometimes they help tremendously. But most people don't really understand what digestive enzymes are, what they do, how to use them properly, or whether they actually need them in the first place. So let's talk about digestive enzymes.

Introduction 👨‍⚕️

Hi. I’m Dr. Stephen Wangen, the founder of the IBS Treatment Center. We get a lot of patients who’ve tried enzymes, and we also use many different types of enzymes in our practice. I’m going to share with you some of the basics about enzymes so that you will have a better understanding about how to use them. And I’ll tell you exactly which products I really like.

What Are Digestive Enzymes? 🔬

Digestive enzymes are a unique group of proteins that help break your food down into small enough components that your body can absorb it. Your body normally produces enzymes in your saliva, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine. These enzymes help break down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates so that nutrients can be absorbed and used by your body. If your enzyme activity is reduced, which can happen for a wide variety of reasons, or if you have inflammation or other digestive issues, then digestion becomes less efficient, and symptoms such as bloating, gas, indigestion, abdominal discomfort, and food reactions can occur.

What Digestive Enzymes Are Not 🚫

One of the biggest sources of confusion is that people often lump digestive enzymes together with other digestive supplements that are not enzymes.

Here are a few examples:

Digestive enzymes are not alive and they are not probiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria that help support the gut microbiome.

Digestive enzymes also do not include Betaine HCl. Betaine HCl is chemical (hydrochloric acid) used to increase stomach acid levels. It can help people with low stomach acid, but it is not an enzyme. These are very different things that work in very different ways.

However, some enzyme products include Betaine HCL. This may or not be a good thing, because you may or may not need HCL. Betaine HCL has potential benefits, but it also has potential side effects, and there are many reasons you may not want Betaine HLC in your enzyme product.

The same is true for bile.

We don’t have time to get into those things, so we’ll focus this conversation on enzymes.

The Three Main Pancreatic Enzymes 🏥

The pancreas produces many digestive enzymes, but the big three do most of the heavy lifting.

These are:

Protease

Amylase

Lipase

Together they are known as pancreatin.

Protease

Protease digests protein. If you eat meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, or other protein-rich foods, protease helps break those proteins down into amino acids that your body can absorb. Everyone needs this.

Lipase

Lipase digests fat. This is another important digestive enzyme because fat can be difficult to digest without adequate lipase activity.

Amylase

Amylase digests carbohydrates and starches. Foods such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, grains, and many vegetables rely heavily on amylase for digestion.

These three enzymes make up the foundation of most pancreatic enzyme formulas.

Other Digestive Enzymes 🌱

Many enzyme supplements contain additional enzymes designed to help digest specific foods.

Examples include:

• Lactase for dairy products
• Alpha-galactosidase for beans and certain vegetables
• Cellulase for plant fibers
• Hemicellulase
• Beta-glucanase
• Phytase
• Invertase
• Glucoamylase
• And others

In some cases these enzymes are helpful because they have a broader spectrum of activity than just pancreatin (which, as a reminder, is Protease, Amylase, and Lipase).

Pancreatic Enzymes vs Plant-Based Enzymes ⚖️

Let’s talk about the difference between pancreatic enzymes and plant-based enzymes.

Pancreatic Enzymes

Pancreatic enzymes are usually derived from the pancreas of animals, and closely resemble the enzymes produced by the human pancreas.

Strengths:

• Closely match human pancreatic enzymes
• Excellent for digesting fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
• Often used in cases of pancreatic insufficiency

Weaknesses:

• They may have a limited variety of enzymes (which can be a strength, depending on use)
• May be less effective for breaking down certain plant fibers

Plant-Based Enzymes

Plant-based enzymes are typically derived from fungal or plant sources. They are often high in bromelain and papain, (both of which target proteins), as well as enzymes that target plant fibers.

Strengths:

• They may have a broader range of digestive activity than pancreatin
• Often include enzymes for various fibers and complex carbohydrates
• Vegetarian friendly

Weaknesses:

• They may not contain as much pancreatic enzyme activity as a pancreatic enzyme.
• Some people respond better to pancreatic formulas

And if you have a true pancreatic insufficiency, plant enzymes may or may not work as well as pancreatic enzymes. The type of enzyme activity that you need will vary from person to person.

Digestive Enzymes vs Systemic Enzymes 🔄

Then we have enzymes that are used for digestion, vs enzymes taken for other purposes, such as for inflammation, or for breaking down biofilms. And here's where it can get even more confusing.

Digestive Enzymes

As we’ve been talking about, digestive enzymes are designed to help break down food. Their purpose is to improve digestion and nutrient absorption. Which means that they are generally taken immediately before or with meals.

Biofilm Enzymes

Some enzymes are used as part of protocols designed to disrupt biofilms. Biofilms are protective structures that bacteria and fungi can create around themselves. Think of them as a protective shield. Certain enzymes help break down components of these biofilms, making bacteria and fungi more accessible to being treated. These types of enzymes include a lot more hydrolases, cellulases, and proteases, because that is what biofilms contain. These products are taken away from meals because the goal is not for them to digest food, but to digest the biofilm.

Anti-Inflammatory Enzymes

Some enzymes are also used for their potential anti-inflammatory effects. These are primarily proteolytic enzymes and antioxidant enzymes. These are often taken between meals as well. Because the goal is not digestive support. The goal is to support the body's inflammatory response.

Note that there is a considerable amount of overlap between these 3 different types of uses for enzymes, and some of their therapeutic effect is not due just to the type of enzyme, but the timing of when you take it.

How Many Enzymes Should You Take? 📏

This is another area where people often make mistakes.

Many people assume that one capsule per meal is enough. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn't.

The amount you need depends on:

• The overall size of the meal
• The amount of fat in the meal
• The amount of protein in the meal
• The amount and types of starch in the meal
• And the type and potency of the enzyme product that you are taking

A small breakfast may require very little support. A large protein meal may require significantly more. That's why many products recommend anywhere from one to three capsules with a meal. And some people may need even more.

So you will have to experiment in order to find out how much of an enzyme you need in order to properly digest the food that you are eating.

Not All Enzyme Products Are Equally Potent 💪

Another common mistake is assuming that all enzyme supplements are roughly the same. They're not.

Some enzyme products contain just a few enzymes. Others contain ten, fifteen, or even twenty different enzymes.

At first glance, more ingredients may seem better. But that's not always the case.

A capsule can only hold so much. And as more and more ingredients are added, the amount of each individual enzyme generally becomes smaller.

In other words, a product that contains fifteen different enzymes may provide less of a particular enzyme that you really need, and therefore less benefit, than a product that contains only three enzymes.

This is especially important to keep in mind if you're trying to support digestion of a specific type of food.

For example:

• Someone struggling primarily with fat digestion may need a product with a substantial amount of lipase.
• Someone struggling with protein digestion may need more protease.
• Someone with a lactose intolerance may may need more lactase, the enzyme that digests lactose.

A long ingredient list doesn't automatically mean a stronger or better product. It simply means that the available space inside the capsule has been divided among more ingredients.

This is one reason why two enzyme products may perform very differently in real life.

More Ingredients vs More Potency ⚖️

Neither approach is automatically better.

A broad-spectrum formula will provide coverage for a wider variety of foods. A more concentrated formula will provide a higher potency of specific enzymes for specific foods.

The best choice depends on your individual needs and what you are eating.

And regardless of which product you use, remember that one capsule is not always enough. If a meal is larger, higher in fat, or higher in protein, you may need additional enzyme support simply because there's more food that needs to be digested.

Do You Actually Have An Enzyme Deficiency? 🤔

This is a really important question. Because even if you find enzymes beneficial, you likely do not have an enzyme deficiency.

True pancreatic enzyme deficiency, also known as EPI, is actually relatively uncommon.

In my practice, the vast majority of people that I see who have digestive symptoms do not have a failing pancreas or a pancreatic insufficiency.

More often, the enzymes are compensating for another digestive problem that still needs to be identified and addressed.

The enzymes are often helping to reduce the impact of food on the digestive system and thus helping to reduce symptoms, and that's great.

But it's important not to assume that the enzymes have solved the underlying problem.

Very often they're helping you manage a symptom while the real cause still needs to be treated.

Please keep this in mind if you find enzymes to be helpful.

Which Enzyme Product Do I Like? ⭐

In many cases I like to start with a very simple, but very high potency pancreatic enzyme product which I’ve provided a link to at the bottom of this post (1). And I should note that there is nothing special about prescription enzymes, such as Creon. You can get enzymes just as strong or stronger on your own, without a prescription, such as the one in the link I just mentioned.

When I want to go with a more broad based enzyme and cover a lot more ground, I use a very high quality complex product like the one linked at the bottom of this post (2). It contains proteases, lipase, amylase, lactase, cellulase, alpha-galactosidase, and many other enzymes designed to support the digestion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, dairy products, and plant fibers. This product is also vegetarian for people who prefer that.

The Bottom Line 📌

Digestive enzymes can be extremely helpful. But it's important to understand what they are and what they aren't.

• They're not probiotics.
• They're not Betaine HCl.
• Pancreatic enzymes and plant-based enzymes each have advantages and disadvantages.
• Enzymes can be used for things other than digesting food.
• Quantity and potency also matters. You may need more than one capsule depending on the product and the meal.
• True pancreatic enzyme deficiency is uncommon.
• If enzymes help, that's wonderful—but don't stop asking why you needed them in the first place.

Because while enzymes can be a valuable tool, they're often helping compensate for a deeper digestive issue that still needs attention.

Final Thoughts 🌿

If you've been struggling with digestive symptoms and haven't found real answers, we'd be happy to help. Regardless of where you live we can work with you via telemedicine, and have been doing so since 2005.

And remember to take good care of your body—it's the only place you have to live. 💙

Product Links:

(1) https://us.fullscript.com/product_cards/58961/redirect?store_slug=ibstreatmentcenter

(2) https://us.fullscript.com/product_cards/70175/redirect?store_slug=ibstreatmentcenter

(Note: You must first be logged into Fullscript for the link to take you to the product.)

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