Natural Healing: Digestive System Supplements

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Good digestion relies on the digestive enzymes, natural substances necessary for transforming food into muscle and bone. Our bodies contain more than 3,000 different kinds of enzymes, and they are located in each body system. Most digestive enzymes work by breaking something down, such as food. The digestive process starts with enzymes in our saliva, and once food reaches the pancreas, protease enzymes digest proteins while lipases work on fats.

Refined food, stress and aging can affect the body’s enzyme production and activity, resulting in digestive problems. The best way to get enzymes is from a diet high in raw fruits and vegetables (cooking destroys enzymes). Without an adequate diet, we can assist our digestive process by taking enzyme supplements.

Digestive system supplements

Digestive enzyme are available in two forms: plant-derived enzymes and pancreatic enzymes from animals. Microbial fermentations, such as bacteria or fungi, may also be called plant enzymes. Popular plant-derived supplements are combinations of bromelain and papain, from pineapple and papaya, respectively. These enzymes are good general digestive supplements, says John Catanzaro, a naturopathic doctor practicing integrative medicine at the Health and Wellness Institute in Seattle. The plant enzymes digest mostly sugars (sucrase and maltase), fibers (cellulase), and proteins (some proteases).

Pancreatic enzymes, derived from animals, are taken as digestive aids for protein and fat and are more powerful than plant enzymes. A placebo-controlled study from the August 2000 issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology demonstrated pancreatic enzymes’ ability to digest fats. The study involved patients with cystic fibrosis, a disease marked by chronic infection of the pancreas and a difficulty digesting fats. Of the seventy-four patients who took the pancreatic enzyme, 91 to 97 percent had a reduction in fat in their stool compared to the placebo group.

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