Digestive Enzymes
by Clare Horn
Natural Health Magazine
March 2001
Health Claims - Digestive enzymes promote nutrient absorption by improving digestion. They may also lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation, and heal bruises.
What They Are
Digestive enzymes are proteins found in our saliva, stomach lining, and pancreatic fluid. Supplements are derived from either plants like fruits and vegetables, or animal organs like the pancreas.
How They Work
Plant enzymes break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins; pancreatic enzymes break down fats. A deficiency of enzymes prevents your body from digesting food properly, inhibiting nutrient absorption and enabling fat to accumulate and cholesterol levels to rise. By taking supplements you can help your pancreas digest food, absorb nutrients, and reduce artery-clogging fat, according to Anthony J. Cichoke, D.C., Ph.D., a chiropractor in Portland, Ore., and author of Enzymes & Enzyme Therapy (Keats, 2000)
Digestive enzymes also speed your body processes to stop swelling and heal bruises. When you take them without food, they enter your bloodstream and break up blood clots and repair damaged tissue.
Evidence
Last August, a double-blind placebo controlled study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that pancreatic enzymes helped fat digestion. The study focused on 74 people with cystic fibrosis, characterized by insufficient release of pancreatic enzymes as well as poor fat metabolism. Of those who took a dose Of 4,500 U/kg (approximately 1 capsule) of pancreatic enzymes, 91 to 97 percent had less fat in their stool than the placebo group.
In a small double-blind study published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences in 1999, researchers fed 18 healthy subjects high-calorie, high-fat meals; they also gave them three pancreatic enzyme capsules or a placebo. Those who took the supplements experienced significantly less bloating over the course of 17 hours than those who took the placebo.
A German study published in 1995 found that bromelain, an enzyme from pineapple, reduced severe bruising and inflammation. Fifty-nine participants with various blunt injuries were given high doses of bromelain and most experienced a significant reduction in swelling and pain over the one to three week period.
How to Take Them
Plant and pancreatic enzymes are available individually or in combination formulas in capsules and tablets. Look for enzymes that meet United States Pharmaceutical standards. A typical dose is 2,000 20,000 U/kg, and a 30-day supply costs about $15 to $60
To improve digestion or lower cholesterol, you need to take enzymes at the start of a meal. To reduce inflammation and heal bruising, take them between meals.
Pancreatic enzymes work best in the alkaline environment of the small intestine, so take enteric-coated capsules, which pass through the stomach intact.
Caveats
Digestive enzymes are generally safe. If you experience soft stools, flatulence, or bloating, reduce the dose. People who suffer from gastritis (stomach inflammation) or an ulcer should consult a health care practitioner before taking digestive enzymes.
Clare Horn is an associate editor at Natural Health. Additional research provided by Sharon Kreuer.
Reference:
C. Horn. (March 2001) Natural Health Magazine. " Digestive Enzymes."
Enzymes Can Hasten Pain Relief
by Anthony Cichoke
Nutrition Science News
February 2001
0ne of the more common reactions to pathological processes is inflammation. Just about every disease or injury involves some form of it, which often manifests as pain. Enzymes, particularly proteases that break down proteins, can effectively be used to ease inflammation. Enzymes are molecules involved in speeding up chemical reactions necessary for human bodily functions. Because enzymes occur naturally in the human body, using them to ease inflammation does not incur the side effects brought on by their synthetic counterparts. Enzymes work not by stopping or blocking inflammation, but by supporting and quickening the process; hence, they are not anti- inflammatory agents per se.
Upon injury, a series of biochemical changes takes place in a predictable fashion. Capillary permeability increases, which allows excess bodily fluid to accumulate in the injured area, leading to swelling. The end result is a wall-like deposit of insoluble proteins, particularly fibrin. This insoluble fibrin formation leads to local circulatory interference that causes pain.
The therapeutic use of protease enzymes is most effective at this stage of inflammation because they hydrolyze the peptide bonds that join amino acids within a protein, thus dissolving the fibrin plugs. This fibrin reduction allows more oxygen to reach and revive tissue cells. Excess fluid is also reabsorbed, reducing inflammation.
Research indicates that certain mixtures of proteolytic enzymes exhibit anti-inflammatory effects. Examples include pancreatin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin from animal sources, and bromelain and papain from plant sources. A double-blind German study on an undisclosed number of dental patients found anti-inflammatory effects using a proprietary mixture of 100 mg pancreatin, 45 mg bromelain, 60 mg papain, 10 mg lipase, 10 mg amylase, 24 mg trypsin, and1 mg chymotrypsin. The patients received the mixture prior to dental surgery and postoperatively for several days. By the third day after the operation, levels of C-reactive protein -- a measure of inflammation -- were threefold higher in the control group.1
A separate German review of a study found proteolytic enzymes have analgesic effects based on the inhibition of inflammation as well as their direct influence on the network of pain receptor branches known as nociceptors. This latter point explains the therapeutic effects of such enzymes in cases where the inflammatory processes are not in the fore-front, particularly degenerative rheumatic diseases.
Enzyme preparations are generally well tolerated. Undesired side effects, which are generally controlled by decreasing dosage, include gastrointestinal tract disturbances, stool softening, flatulence, and/or a feeling of fullness.
Although more studies are needed to better ascertain the anti- inflammatory and hence, pain relieving-effects of the various hydrolytic enzymes, it may be presumed that they can help in conditions with inflammation as one of the main calling cards.
Anthony Cichoke is the author of The Complete Book of Enzyme Therapy (Avery, 1999).
References:
A. Cichoke. (February 2001). Nutrition Science News. " Enzymes Can Hasten Pain Relief."
