Digestive enzymes are a natural part of your digestive system. Your body needs them to fully break down food and absorb nutrients.
Some foods are particularly problematic, such as dairy (containing lactose or casein), legumes (containing cellulose), or grains (containing gluten). And for those without obvious allergies (like lactose intolerance) or auto-immune conditions (like Celiac Disease), this could be due to an insufficient ability to properly digest these foods.
Many external and internal factors can impact your ability to properly digest foods — periods of increased stress, mold exposure, prescription medications…
And when you aren’t able to properly absorb all the nutrients you need from your food, you end up feeling chronically fatigued — malnourished, low energy, and unable to eat foods you otherwise once enjoyed.
Can You Improve Gut Health With Digestive Enzymes?
Yes! Enter NOW Super Enzymes — a potent digestive aid that can help combat frustrating and painful digestive symptoms while improving gut health.
If you have the following symptoms, it might be worth looking into digestive enzymes as a potential solution:
- Bloating
- Gas
- Abdominal pain
- Cramps after meals
- Weight loss
- Diarrhea or loose stools
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Acid reflux
- Constipation
Why We Prefer NOW Super Enzymes for Immediate Relief
NOW’s Super Enzymes contain:
- Betaine HCL: A natural product, which is typically extracted from plants like sugar beets. “HCL” or hydrochloride is simply a form of this product that acts as a natural source of stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) in people that have trouble digesting food (i.e., symptoms of bloating, gas, cramps, etc.).
Not only does it improve digestion, but it also helps you to properly assimilate nutrients because food gets fully broken down so your body can properly utilize it. Many SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) treatment plans call for Betaine HCL and other enzymes to increase stomach acid production as a way of protecting against pathogenic bacteria.
- Ox Bile: Is extracted from the liver and/or gallbladder of bovines, which is then purified and/or concentrated into a powder or liquid extract. “Bile” is an alkaline fluid secreted by our livers naturally that helps aid in digestion (particularly when it comes to fats). Bile problems (underproduction) can be caused by impaired digestion, IBS, inflammation, antibiotics, gallstones, and more.
Bile is conversely the primary way the body eliminates harmful substances which are fat-soluble. These include heavy metals, prescription medication (antibiotics, NSAIDs) and toxins. Producing enough bile is extremely important! In traditional Chinese medicine, Ox Bile was used to treat intestinal parasites and jaundice.
- Papain (from Papaya): Many fruits contain natural digestive enzymes that help to break down proteins — papaya is one of these fruits, and ‘papain’ is the enzyme from papaya that is most often sold as a supplement. It’s also a popular meat tenderizer.
While you can get papain naturally from eating papaya, it’s also commonly included in digestive supplements (paired with bromelain) because of how effective it is at reducing digestive symptoms like GERD. Beyond digestive relief, papain has a ton of other benefits like its cousin bromelain — they’re both great enzymes for reducing inflammation, promoting wound healing, and reducing the risk of blood clots.
- Bromelain (from Pineapple): Much like papain, bromelain is a natural digestive enzyme found in fruit — namely, pineapple. Specifically, bromelain is a protein-digesting enzyme that is very commonly supplemented to help with digestion, mucus production, and inflammation!
Bromelain has gained a ton of traction in naturopathic and traditional medicine for its potential therapeutic benefits. These aren't strictly limited to digestion, as bromelain can also help to break down blood clots and reduce inflammation.
- Cellulase: Is an enzyme naturally found in plants, which can help to break down plant fibers we consume into more easily utilized beta-glucose and short-chain polysaccharides. This enzyme is not “biosynthesized” by the human body, meaning we must get it from food or supplements.
One of the major components of fibrous plant foods that gives people digestive upset is cellulose. While animals like cows have plenty of internal resources to help them break down fibrous plants more easily, humans do not. Cellulase can be used as a supplement to aid in breaking down cellulose from foods like corn, potatoes, squash, pears, apples, beans, and leafy greens.
