Enzyme Supplements: Benefit or Burden

Enzyme supplements are commonly used to aid in digestive issues and food allergies, as well as in inflammatory conditions and to promote fibrin breakdown.

However, not all enzyme supplements are beneficial – and used incorrectly, they can become a burden on the body.

Cellulase – Do we really need it?

Cellulase is an essential enzyme found in herbivores to break down crude fibre into glucose.  Unlike herbivores, humans DO NOT produce cellulase because we do not utilize cellulose as our energy source; rather, we need cellulose intact in our digestive tract to help bulk our stools and prevent any toxic reabsorption. As a matter of fact,long-term use of cellulase not only provides little benefit but can also cause extra loading of sugars in the gut by breaking down cellulose into glucose. Choosing an enzyme product containing cellulase would only be practical for individuals who are malnourished/ underweight or consume a lot of fibre in their diet causing them to have GI upsets.

Enzymes + Probiotics + Fibre = Additive Effect for GI Health??

Including many GI-beneficial ingredients in one product may sound quite appealing; however, we have to consider the possible interactions between these ingredients.We CANNOT assume that the digestive enzymes would not affect the viability of probiotics. As for including both fibre and cellulase in the same formula, it not only defeats the purpose of including fibre but also increases glucose uptake.

Which Enzymes Should Be Used for Food Intolerances?

Food intolerances are mostly due to insufficiency of digestive enzymes to break down certain food components, commonly lactose and complex branch carbohydrates with alpha-galactoside chain (bean and yam). The symptoms of intolerance typically occur within 1-2 hours after ingestion, and include flatulence, bloating, cramping and/or diarrhea. Unlike food sensitivities, food intolerance symptoms are limited to within the GI tract and pose less of a systemic concern. Alpha- & beta-galactosidase (lactase) are two of the more common enzyme deficiencies; therefore, when choosing an enzyme product for food intolerances, these 2 enzymes should be included.

Proteases Help Reduce Food Sensitivities

Food sensitivities or allergies are induced by particular compounds – commonly proteins – that provoke an immune response. Food allergies can be mediated IgE, IgG, and IgA, which can cause oxidative stress and consequently systemic inflammation. Symptoms of food sensitivities can occur from within minutes (IgE) up to 72 hours (IgG, IgA) after ingestion, and may include skin rashes, fatigue, brain fog, migraine, muscle/joint aches, and GI discomforts. In these cases, proteases are useful in reducing and preventing hypersensitivities, leaky gut, and inflammation by breaking down the allergens.

Proteases Can Function as Anti-inflammatory Agents

Protein digestive enzymes, such as nattokinase, serrapeptidase, bromelain, and other digestive proteases, can potentially yield anti-inflammatory benefits via two main mechanisms:

1. Local breakdown of pro-inflammatory allergens in the GI tract into amino acids or small peptides to prevent leaky gut syndrome & systemic inflammatory reaction
2. Systemic breakdown of pro-inflammatory debris from damaged tissues in the blood stream – ie. fibrins – that may cause secondary inflammation and promote scar tissue formation & calcification of tissues.

Ssupplementing a broad spectrum of digestive & systemic proteases can be used to treat many types of inflammation, including both systemic (eg. autoimmune diseases) or localized (eg. osteoarthritis) conditions.

DPP-4 (Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV) breaks down Gluten, BUT it can also potentially induce Hyperglycemia

DDP-4 is a recently emerged supplemental enzyme claimed to be able to break down gluten in your gut to help Celiac patients or those with gluten-sensitivity. However, DDP-4 is also known to break down incretin; incretin is a gastrointestinal hormoneresponsible for stimulating insulin release and inhibiting glucagon release in our body. Therefore, supplementing DDP-4 can potentially be a problem in obese, PCOS, and/or diabetic patients. In fact, DDP-4 inhibitor is a category of drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.