Healthy shopping: Digestive enzyme supplements

Joanna Evans delves into digestive enzyme supplements—what to look for and top products to try

Digestive enzyme supplements may help with digestive issues that can often accompany perimenopause or getting older. But what exactly should you look for, and which products are worth trying?

Digestive enzyme supplements are concentrated sources of enzymes that help your body break down food into smaller molecules that are easier to digest and absorb. Sourced from animals, plants or microorganisms, they can provide enzymes similar to those made naturally by the digestive system as well as some that the human body doesn’t produce.

These are some common digestive enzymes:

Amylase: breaks down complex carbohydrates

Protease: breaks down proteins

Lipase: breaks down fats

Lactase: breaks down lactose (the natural sugar in milk)

Alpha-galactosidase: breaks down carbohydrates in foods such as legumes

When choosing a digestive enzyme supplement, look for a broad-spectrum enzyme formula including amylase, protease and lipase to support carbohydrate, protein and fat digestion. Additional enzymes like lactase and alpha-galactosidase can be helpful too, depending on your diet and individual needs.

Besides the enzymes themselves, here are a few more things to check for when selecting a supplement:

Enzyme activity. Check the label for enzyme activity units such as DU, HUT, FIP and ALU rather than just the milligrams of an enzyme blend.

Clear labeling. The supplement should list the individual enzymes along with the activity levels rather than simply specifying a “proprietary blend.”

Excipients. These are the inactive ingredients in a supplement, and the fewer, the better. Check the ingredients list on the label or website to make sure you’re not getting any unnecessary extras, like sugars, sweeteners, fillers, artificial colorings and preservatives. Also watch out for allergens if you have any allergies or intolerances.

Quality control. Choose brands that follow Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards and use independent testing to verify factors such as potency (the dosage is what it claims to be on the label) and purity (it’s free of potentially harmful contaminants). If you’re not sure, get in touch with the company to check.

Products to try

Enzymedica

Digest Gold Maximum Strength, $40.11/£37.49 (90 capsules)
US: enzymedica.com; UK: enzymedica.co.uk

Specialist digestive enzyme manufacturer Enzymedica offers several digestive enzyme formulas, all with minimal excipients, rigorously third-party tested and featuring Thera-blend™ technology, which combines multiple enzyme strains designed to remain active across different digestive pH levels. Digest Gold is a vegan formula that also includes ATPro®, a blend of ATP, magnesium citrate, phytase and CoQ10, which Enzymedica says supports nutrient digestion and cellular energy.

Pure Encapsulations

Digestive Enzymes Ultra, $38/£42.42 (90 capsules)
US: pureforyou.com; UK: pure-encapsulations.co.uk

This broad-spectrum vegetarian formula features enzymes involved in the digestion of protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber and lactose, with clearly stated enzyme activities. For example, there’s 24,000 DU of amylase and 3,000 FIP of lipase per two-capsule serving. Like all Pure Encapsulations products, the supplement is third-party tested and free of unnecessary additives and common allergens.

Seeking Health

Digestive Enzymes, $40/£22.99 (60 capsules)
US: seekinghealth.com; UK: uk.iherb.com

This comprehensive vegan enzyme blend is designed to support the digestion of protein, fats, carbs, lactose, legumes, seeds, nuts and gliadin from gluten. There are one or two more excipients than we’d like to see, but the product is third-party tested and free of genetically modified ingredients and common allergens, and all enzyme activity is clearly labeled.

What do you think? Start a conversation over on the... WDDTY Community