Digestive Enzymes Plus Probiotics: The Dynamic Duo for Digestive Nirvana

Does sitting down to your favorite meal often trigger indigestion? Are certain foods off limits because they leave you feeling gassy and bloated? Do you find yourself popping antacids or proton-pump inhibitors to soothe frequent stomach distress? If you’ve said yes to any of these scenarios, you may be suffering from low enzyme levels.

The Enzyme Connection

Enzymes are specialized proteins that play a key role in every single function that occurs in the human body. In fact, enzymes are involved in at least 4,000 biochemical reactions essential to life—and about half of these reactions involve digestion.¹

The human body produces its own supply of digestive enzymes via the pancreas, stomach, and small intestine. The pancreas is the primary producer of digestive enzymes, secreting about eight ounces of critical enzymes each day, and each works in its own specific way.²  Enzymes produced by the pancreas include:

• Amylase, which breaks down complex carbohydrates.
• Lipase, which breaks down fats.
• Protease, which breaks down proteins.³

Another common enzyme—lactase—breaks down the lactose in dairy. Unlike the other major digestive enzymes, it is made in the small intestine.⁴

Because each type of digestive enzyme has a specific job, having the right enzyme is like having the right key to open a specific lock. Without the right keys to process the foods we eat, complete digestion simply can’t occur—and that can leave you feeling gassy, bloated, and suffering from post-meal indigestion.⁵ Over time, a chronic lack of digestive enzymes may lead to nutritional deficiencies and more serious health problems.⁶

 Are Your Enzymes MIA? 

In a perfect world, your body would make all the enzymes it needs for optimal digestion. But as we age, the production of digestive enzymes slows down.⁷ Adding insult to injury, many lifestyle factors can also interfere with your body’s ability to make sufficient amounts of enzymes to break down the foods you eat. The most common include:

• Alcohol overuse
• Diet high in ultra-processed foods
• High caloric intake
• Micronutrient deficiency
• Not consuming enough dietary protein
• Smoking
• Too little or too much exercise ⁶

A short supply of digestive enzymes can show up in a variety of ways. Some symptoms, like bloating, gas, and the feeling of fullness after only a few bites, may seem like minor inconveniences—unless they become chronic. Other symptoms, like abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, or food sensitivities, can signal more serious digestive issues. ⁶  Fortunately, you can fortify your body’s natural enzyme production with supplements.

Supplement Your Natural Enzymes

Supplemental enzymes can support the digestive process in the same way as those produced by your own body. When taken with food, digestive enzymes provide the body with what it requires so that the pancreas doesn’t need to work as hard to produce its own enzymes. This puts less demand on the digestive system, enabling it to better break down the foods we eat. New findings published in Frontiers in Nutrition report that supplementing with dietary enzymes can speed up the breakdown of a complex meal, like that cheeseburger you ate for lunch, and facilitate greater nutrient absorption. In addition, supplemental enzymes may reduce the odds of developing food sensitivities.⁸  New evidence that appeared in the journal Heliyon also suggests that supplemental enzymes can make your body’s own enzymes more effective.⁹

Supplementing with digestive enzymes can also help to ease abdominal pain or discomfort common in those with irritable bowl syndrome (IBS). In one study in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 120 people with functional dyspepsia were randomized to receive either a daily dose of digestive enzymes or a placebo for two months. By the end of the study, those taking the enzymes experienced less pain plus an improvement in sleep and quality of life.¹⁰

To get the most out of a digestive enzyme supplement, look for one that contains the major enzymes—amylase, lipase, protease, and lactase—to ensure the complete breakdown and digestion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and dairy. It’s also smart to choose a supplement that is backed by clinical research.

When you take digestive enzymes matters, too. Unless otherwise noted, always take digestive enzymes right before eating. This ensures that the enzymes are ready to go to work as soon as food enters your stomach.

Add In a Probiotic

Research suggests that supplementing with digestive enzymes can also benefit your microbiome. One 2018 study found that routinely taking an enzyme supplement encourages the colonization of beneficial bacteria in the gut.¹¹ But probiotics also benefit your digestive enzymes. Some probiotic bacteria produce enzymes that help digest food. What’s more, probiotics can improve the balance of the microbes in the gut, and that can improve enzyme activity.¹²  For overall health, look for a probiotic supplement that provides a variety of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria proven to promote digestive health and a strong immune system.

What about CFUs (Colony Forming Units)? When it comes to probiotics, most manufacturers maintain that more is better. In fact, it isn’t uncommon for supplements to contain 2 to 50 billion organisms in each dose. These bacteria are listed on nutrition labels as either the CFU count or simply as the number of cells the product contains. But, regardless of the number of bacteria listed on the labels, what really matters is viability.

Unfortunately, not all probiotic manufacturers guarantee that the bacteria in their products are live and viable through the expiration date. Without this type of assurance, it’s hard to tell exactly how many bacteria cells, if any, are alive when you swallow your supplement. It’s also important to make sure your supplement is resistant to stomach acid. This will ensure that the bacteria survives the journey through the stomach and are still viable when it arrives in the small intestines.

Pairing digestive enzymes with a probiotic supplement can help to optimize digestion and your overall gut health. One easy way to do this is with a combination supplement that provides an array of digestive enzymes and shelf-stable probiotics in one convenient capsule. Combined with a nutritious whole foods diet, this type of supplement can improve your digestion and support a healthy microbiome to help you achieve true belly bliss.

References

1. 17: Enzymes. LibreText Biology. https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Introductory_Biology_(CK-12)/01%3A_Introduction_to_Biology/1.17%3A_Enzymes
2. Denhard M. Digestive Enzymes and Digestive Enzyme Supplements. Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/digestive-enzymes-and-digestive-enzyme-supplements#:~:text=Your%20stomach%2C%20small%20intestine%20and,down%20carbohydrates%2C%20proteins%20and%20fats.
3. Pandol SJ. The Exocrine Pancreas. San Rafael (CA): Morgan & Claypool Life Sciences; 2010. Digestive Enzymes.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK54127/
4. Lactose intolerance. Medline Plus. National Library of Medicine. 2023.
5. Symptoms & causes for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 2023.
6. Phillips E, Haynes A. Digestive enzymes. Clinical Education. https://www.clinicaleducation.org/news/digestive-enzymes/
7. Hissen F, Mensink M, Huppertz T, et al. Impact of aging on the digestive system related to protein digestion in vivo. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2024:1-17.
8. Mazhar S, Simon A, Colom J, et al. Acute physiological effects on macromolecule digestion following oral ingestion of the enzyme blend Elevase® in individuals that had undergone an ileostomy, but were otherwise healthy-a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled exploratory study. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2024;11:1357803.
9. Rathi A, Potale S, Vaze R, et al. In vitro simulated study of macronutrient digestion in complex food using digestive enzyme supplement. 2024;10(9):e30250.
10. Ullah H, Di Minno A, Piccinocchi R, et al. Efficacy of digestive enzyme supplementation in functional dyspepsia: A monocentric, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. 2023;169:115858.
11. Nishiyama H, Nagai T, Kudo M, et al. Supplementation of pancreatic digestive enzymes alters the composition of intestinal microbiota in mice. Biochemical & Biophysical Research Communications. 2018;495(1):273-9.
12. Assan D, Kuebutornye FKA, Hlordzi V, et al. Effects of probiotics on digestive enzymes of fish (finfish and shellfish); status and prospects: a mini review. Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 2022;257:110653.

This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.