Digestive enzyme supplements are often used to support the digestion of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. While not everyone needs them, if you experience bloating after meals, discomfort with high-carb or rich foods, have a diagnosed enzyme insufficiency (such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency), or have IBS or other food sensitivities, digestive enzymes can help.
This article will teach you the best time to take digestive enzymes, how to take them correctly, safety considerations, common mistakes people make, and who should take them. However, it's always important to check with your doctor before making changes to your treatment plan, and this article is meant to provide need-to-know information about digestive enzymes, not medical advice.
What Are Digestive Enzymes?
Digestive enzymes are specialized proteins that help the body process food into smaller components, which enables the body to absorb nutrients. They work on the three main macronutrients:
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Carbohydrates, which get broken down into simple sugars
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Proteins, which get broken down into amino acids
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Fats, which get broken down into fatty acids and glycerol
The body naturally produces certain enzymes in the saliva, stomach, and pancreas. Others are not produced by the human body (more about that in a bit). The enzymes your body makes are released at different points along your gastrointestinal tract.
An important point to remember is that they are very specific. Digestive enzymes work only on certain food components. Think of it like a lock-and-key system: each key will only work in one lock, and different enzymes break down different food components. For example, amylase can break down food containing carbohydrates, while lipase can break down only fats.
Types of Digestive Enzymes
There are three main types of digestive enzymes: amylase, protease, and lipase:
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Amylase: Found in saliva and pancreatic secretions, this digestive enzyme breaks starches down into simple sugars.
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Protease: Proteases help break down proteins. Pepsin (active in the stomach) breaks down proteins into peptides (smaller proteins). Trypsin (active in the small intestine) breaks proteins down into dipeptides (two amino acids joined together). Finally, dipeptidase (active in the small intestine) breaks down dipeptides into individual amino acids.
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Lipase: Lipase, which primarily acts in the small intestine, breaks fats down into fatty acids and glycerol.
Another digestive enzyme you may be aware of is lactase, which breaks down the lactose (a milk sugar) in dairy products. While some people produce enough of this enzyme, many do not. This is why so many people with lactose intolerance use lactase supplements to aid digestion of dairy products, which can help reduce uncomfortable symptoms like gas, bloating, and loose bowel movements.
In addition, although there are many digestive enzymes produced by the body in significant amounts, some, such as alpha-galactosidase (which breaks down complex carbohydrates in beans and certain vegetables), are not among them. You'll learn more about enzymes and FODMAPs later in this article.
When Should You Take Digestive Enzymes
Getting the best results from digestive enzymes is directly related to when you take them. For maximum effectiveness, take them immediately before or with the first bite of food. Proper timing is critical because enzymes work in real time alongside digestion, so they need to be present when food enters the stomach and small intestine.
Some meals that may benefit from digestive enzymes are:
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High-protein meals (such as those including meat or dairy products).
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High-fat meals (such as fried foods and rich sauces).
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High-carbohydrate meals (such as bread, pasta, and other starchy foods).
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Any meals that commonly trigger bloating and gas.
When Enzymes May Not Help
However, while digestive enzymes can help in some cases, they may not be helpful in the following cases:
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If your digestive discomfort is not related to meals.
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Your symptoms are driven by anxiety or stress rather than issues with food breakdown or food intolerances.
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Structural digestive conditions (such as inflammatory bowel disease) that require medical treatment.
Additionally, in the case of a diagnosed digestive enzyme insufficiency, such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in people with cystic fibrosis or pancreatic cancer, a doctor's prescription (not over-the-counter supplements) is necessary. Because they replace the enzymes the body is not making, the enzyme concentration must match the meal size and composition exactly to be effective and prevent losing weight due to nutrient malabsorption. This is why prescription enzymes, which are tightly regulated, are necessary.
How to Use Digestive Enzymes Properly
The benefits of digestive enzymes depend on proper use. Here are some tips for taking them properly to ensure maximum effectiveness.
Step 1: Match the Enzyme to Your Meal
Choosing the right enzyme for the meal components you want to break down is critical, as enzymes work only on specific macronutrients. For example:
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Carbohydrate-rich meals should use enzyme blends containing amylase
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Protein-rich meals should use enzyme blends containing proteases
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Fat-rich meals should use enzyme blends containing lipase
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Lactose-rich meals should use a lactase supplement
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Galacto-oligosaccharide-rich meals should use an alpha-galactosidase supplement
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Fructan-rich meals should use a supplement containing fructan hydrolase
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Mixed meals should use multi-enzyme supplements that contain a blend of different digestive enzymes
The best digestive enzymes for you will depend on your specific food intolerances.
Step 2: Take Enzymes at the Right Time
Digestive enzymes must be taken immediately before or with the first bite of food for maximum effectiveness. Taking them too long after eating means they won't be present in the digestive system at the same time as the food you've eaten, which means they can't do their job of breaking down meal components. Remember, proper digestive function relies on the enzyme being present when you need to digest the food.
Step 3: Use the Correct Dosage
It's important to follow the product label instructions and start with the lowest effective dose, increasing it only if the lower dose doesn't improve meal-related symptoms. Because they are dietary supplements, digestive enzyme dosages can differ by brand, so it's important to check the label.
Step 4: Take Consistently With Trigger Meals
Enzymes must be present in the digestive tract at the same time as the food you need help digesting. That means that they should be taken situationally, with trigger meals, which may be daily or less frequently. Since they don't remain in your digestive system long, you need to take them every time you eat a meal where you anticipate digestive difficulties.
Common Mistakes Using Digestive Enzymes
Here are some of the most common mistakes that people make when using digestive enzymes:
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Taking them too late (remember, they must be present in the digestive system at the same time as the food to provide relief from meal-related symptoms).
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Using the wrong type of enzyme (for example, using a lipase supplement when you need help digesting carbohydrates).
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Expecting digestive enzymes to fix all of your digestive problems (while enzymes can help with food intolerances due to issues with food breakdown, they do not help with gut microbiome imbalance, stress-related digestive problems, or IBS triggers unrelated to digestion).
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Overusing digestive enzymes (more is not always better; excess supplementation is unnecessary if your diet is already well tolerated).
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Using a broad-spectrum blend that doesn't contain enough of the active enzymes needed to break down different food components.
Who Should Take Digestive Enzymes
While it's always important to check with your doctor before starting any new supplements, especially if you take any medications or have underlying health conditions, the following people may benefit from digestive enzymes:
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People who experience occasional digestive discomfort after rich or large meals
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People with a diagnosed condition where they do not produce enough digestive enzymes (such as lactase insufficiency, which can lead to lactose intolerance).
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People experimenting with food triggers
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People with IBS or food intolerances (however, while specific digestive enzymes can support digestion of certain foods, they do not address all IBS triggers).
While over-the-counter digestive enzymes can be helpful in the above situations, people with a diagnosed enzyme insufficiency (such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) require prescription pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT).
How to Get Started With Digestive Enzymes
In some cases, common symptoms of digestive discomfort like gas, bloating, and diarrhea are related to specific fermentable carbohydrates known as FODMAPs. These carbohydrates (which are a source of non-absorbable fiber) are found in foods like:
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Garlic, onions, and wheat (fructans)
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Certain legumes (galacto-oligosaccharides, or GOS)
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Certain dairy products (lactose)
While the low FODMAP diet is effective for managing IBS symptoms, it can be detrimental to long-term gut health and energy levels, and can disrupt your daily routine because of how restrictive it is. Additionally, since FODMAPs act as prebiotics (food for the good bacteria, or probiotics, in your gut), they aren't just important for overall digestive health; they're also critical for a healthy immune system and overall health.
That's where targeted enzymes come in. While standard digestive enzyme blends may not fully address FODMAPs, products like FODZYME are designed to break down FODMAPs—fructan, GOS, lactose—into more digestible carbohydrates.
Try FODZYME today and unlock food freedom.