Can Digestive Enzyme Supplements Help You Lose Weight

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Somebody (usually on the internet) told you that in order to improve your digestive health you need to buy (also usually from the internet) some digestive enzymes to improve your body’s efficiency at metabolizing food. The benefits, although usually left somewhat vague, generally involve weight loss, more vitality, and a generalized sense of well-being.

But will digestive enzymes actually help you lose weight? Actually, no they won’t. If you think about how digestion works, it is easy to see why they are more likely to do the exact opposite.

Century, the process of digestion was poorly understood. It was generally assumed that the stomach would in some way grind up the food into small pieces that would then be absorbed into the body. What role gastric juices played in the whole process was somewhat unclear.

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That changed in large part thanks to William Beaumont, whose work as a US Army surgeon brought him into contact with Alexis St. Martin, a Canadian voyageur who had the misfortune to be accidentally shot in the stomach, and the good fortune to survive the experience. St. Martin’s injury eventually healed but left him with a fistula; a hole in his stomach that connected to the outside world. Beaumont, realizing the opportunity, used St. Martin for a series of experiments. He was able to introduce food tied to a piece of string directly into St. Martin’s stomach and then remove it periodically to see how food was actually digested in a living human. He also took samples of the gastric juices from St. Martin’s stomach and applied it to bits of food in his lab. When the food dissolved, Beaumont showed that food was broken down through the chemical action of these digestive juices, not the churning of the stomach.

The somewhat dubious ethics of Beaumont’s experiments notwithstanding, his experiments did advance the understanding of human digestion. We now know that the pancreas produces the digestive enzymes used by our body to break down food and it is a combination of these enzymes that are generally sold in stores and over the Internet to aid in digestion. On the surface, this seems like a reasonable thing to do, but if we look at how pancreatic enzymes are used clinically, we can see an obvious problem with this course of action.

Patients with chronic pancreatitis can develop an enzyme deficiency. Unlike acute pancreatitis, which is a sudden, very painful but temporary problem, chronic pancreatitis occurs over a long period of time and generally results in permanent damage to the pancreas. However, the pancreas is a remarkably resilient organ and over 90% of it has to be damage before its enzyme producing capacity is impaired. Nevertheless, patients with chronic pancreatitis and a digestive enzyme deficiency can develop malnutrition because they are unable to break down their food to be absorbed by the intestines.

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These patients often suffer from abdominal pain, usually brought on after eating. Since they do not digest their food properly, they also have loose foul-smelling stools, which contain their undigested food matter. Consequently, they become malnourished and lose weight.

There is no real way to reverse the damage with chronic pancreatitis, although abstaining from alcohol and cigarettes helps somewhat, as does avoiding large meals. This is one situation where pancreatic enzymes would be used clinically and prescription formulations contain some combination of lipase, amylase, and protease (the enzymes to break down fat, carbs, and proteins respectively).Importantly, these formulations are enteric-coated tablets to protect them as they pass through the stomach, since the very concentrated acid in the stomach can inactivate uncoated enzymes. Uncoated formulations are sometimes used clinically but they have to be combined with acid suppressing medication to maximize their effectiveness.

Many patients do improve with pancreatic enzyme replacement. However, remember that these patients were often malnourished due to the fact that they were not properly absorbing their food, and success is defined by whether they start to regain their weight.

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Thus, the consequence of pancreatic enzyme replacement is weight gain, not weight loss, which I do not think most people understand when they buy the product. While many people suffer from some gastrointestinal complaint, it is rather unlikely that you have chronic pancreatitis and would benefit from pancreatic enzyme replacement. Most cases of bloating and gas are caused by too much swallowed air and could be treated by people chewing their food more thoroughly. Thus it would probably be best if people did not start treating themselves before confirming that they actually have a disease. So just as one would not start taking insulin until a diagnosis of diabetes is made, it is probably best not to start taking pancreatic enzyme supplements until their need has been confirmed.summary Digestive enzymes help break down proteins, fats, and carbs into smaller components. They’re produced naturally by your body and are also found in supplement form.

Some studies show that digestive enzymes may enhance the health of your gut microbiome — the microorganisms that live in your digestive tract (

Plus, a test-tube study showed that pairing a probiotic supplement with digestive enzymes could help protect against changes in the gut microbiome caused by chemotherapy and a type of antibiotic (

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In fact, one review of 21 studies reported that enhancing the beneficial bacteria in your gut may reduce body mass index, fat mass, and body weight (

Summary Some test-tube and animal studies show that digestive enzymes may improve the health of your beneficial gut bacteria — bacteria that may be involved in weight control.

Lipase is a digestive enzyme that boosts the absorption of fat in your body by breaking it down into glycerol and free fatty acids (

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For example, one study in 16 adults found that those taking a lipase supplement before consuming a high fat meal reported significantly decreased stomach fullness after 1 hour, compared with a control group (

On the other hand, lipase inhibitors — which decrease lipase levels — have long been used to promote weight control by increasing the excretion of fat (

While more research is needed, increasing your lipase levels by taking digestive enzyme supplements could potentially increase fat absorption, thus contributing to weight gain.

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Summary Lipase may decrease feelings of fullness. On the other hand, decreasing lipase levels can promote weight loss by reducing fat absorption.

Most digestive enzyme supplements contain a combination of lipase, amylase, and protease. Some types also contain other specific enzymes that can be beneficial if you have difficulty digesting certain ingredients.

Supplements are derived from microbial or animal sources. Although animal-based digestive enzymes are more common, microbial-based supplements may be an effective, vegan-friendly alternative (

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To ensure quality, check the ingredients label and steer clear of supplements high in fillers, additives, and preservatives. Plus, opt for supplements that have undergone third-party testing and are certified by organizations like the United States Pharmacopeia (USP).

Be sure to talk to your healthcare provider before taking a new supplement, especially if you have any underlying health conditions or are taking any medications.

Summary Most digestive enzymes contain a combination of protease, lipase, and amylase, but they may also contain other specific enzymes to promote healthy digestion. Supplements are derived from both animal-based and microbial sources.

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Digestive enzyme inhibitors decrease the absorption of certain macronutrients and are sometimes used in the treatment of obesity to increase weight loss (

According to a review of 14 studies, supplementing with an amylase inhibitor extracted from white beans may increase both weight loss and fat loss in humans (

Another study showed that blocking the effects of trypsin, a protease enzyme that breaks down proteins, decreased food consumption and weight gain in rats (

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In particular, the lipase inhibitor called orlistat may reduce fat absorption by 30%. It does this by decreasing the production of lipase in the stomach and pancreas, resulting in weight loss (

One study in 40 women with obesity also found that long-term use of orlistat increased levels of certain hormones that suppress hunger and appetite (

Aside from potentially affecting hormone levels, other common side effects of lipase inhibitors include diarrhea, stomach pain, and fat in the stools (

Benefits Of Digestive Enzymes Can Help You To Lose Weight

Summary Enzyme inhibitors block the activity of digestive enzymes, which could promote weight loss and fat loss. However, studies have had contradicting results.

While digestive enzyme supplements may or may not directly boost weight loss, they could promote healthy digestion and regularity, especially for those with certain gastrointestinal conditions.