In this article, you will learn what are the best digestive enzymes on iHerb.
Digestive enzymes play an important role in the body. They break down food and help get nutrients out of it. They are produced in the pancreas and if you have any problems with it, such as inflammation, you may feel unpleasant symptoms: bloated stomach, heaviness after eating, irregular stools, diarrhea or constipation. It’s also important to know that bile breaks down fats, and if you have had your gallbladder removed, you should take extra medication to help your body digest fats.
If you have BOS (bacterial overgrowth syndrome) or IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), you need enzymes for proper digestion in addition to the FODMAP diet. For some patients, doctors prescribe enzyme medications for life so that the person can live a normal life without discomfort.
Benefits of digestive enzymes
- Reduces gas, bloating and stool problems. If you are deficient in enzymes, the pieces of food will not be digested in the stomach and will go on to the intestines, where they will be fermented. During the fermentation process, gas is released. Unfortunately, more and more people are experiencing belly bloating because of improper eating and rapid absorption. Remember that food needs to be chewed very carefully. After all, the process of digestion starts already in our mouth thanks to saliva. Some people have felt an improvement in their condition by changing the process of chewing to a longer and more thorough one.
- Helps the absorption of nutrients. Lack of enzymes can cause all the nutrients to not be absorbed. This can cause vitamin deficiencies. For example, if you have problems with bile flow or a lack of lipase, then fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D3, Omega 3 simply will not be absorbed in the stomach. This is why so many people have so many deficiencies.
- It helps digest complex carbohydrates. Most people suffer from bloating after eating legumes or cabbage. There are special enzymes for digesting them. I have listed such a product in my enzyme ranking.
List of best enzymes on iHerb
Enzymedica, Digest Basic, Essential Enzyme Formula
The Enzymedica brand makes the best enzymes. This complex contains all the enzymes you need to digest proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Here’s the composition:
| Protease Thera-blend™ | 20,000 HUT |
| Amylase Thera-blend™ | 8,440 DU |
| Pectinase (w/ Phytase) | 25 Endo-PGU |
| Maltase | 100 DP° |
| Cellulase Thera-blend™ | 500 CU |
| Glucoamylase | 10 AGU |
| Alpha Galactosidase | 50 GalU |
| Lactase | 300 ALU |
| Lipase Thera-blend™ | 450 FCCFIP |
| Invertase | 270 SU |
| Xylanase | 100 XU |
Protease breaks down proteins, amylase breaks down carbohydrates, and lipase breaks down fats. There is also pectinase, which is needed to break down plant polysaccharides – pectins. Maltase, an enzyme present in saliva and juice, helps break down maltose into glucose. Glucoamylase breaks down dextrin and starch molecules to form glucose. Cellulase breaks down cellulose molecules into monosaccharides. Alpha-galactosidase – an enzyme that helps digest complex carbohydrates with high gas-forming potential, such as beans or cabbage. Invertase is an enzyme for the breakdown of sucrose into monosugars, glucose and fructose. Xylanase carries out the degradation of xylan to xylose.
As we can see, the combination is perfect. The drug will work on all fronts. A great option, for those who don’t understand what enzyme they are missing. But remember that such enzymes in most cases are not suitable for constant use, it is better to find out the reason for not digesting from the doctor, who will tell what enzyme you lack. The price is only $7 for 30 capsules. You need to take one capsule with a meal.
NOW Foods, Super Enzymes
This complex has a great composition:
| Betaine HCI | 200 mg |
| Ox Bile Extract (min. 45% Total Cholic Acids) | 100 mg |
| Papaya Fruit Powder | 45 mg |
| Pancreatin 11X Supplying: Amylase 37,000 USP Units Protease 37,000 USP Units Lipase 2,960 USP Units | 134 mg |
| Bromelain (from Pineapple) (120 GDU) | 40 mg |
| Acid Stable Protease (Aspergillopepsin) (50 SAPU) | 10 mg |
| Papain (from Papaya) (100,000 FCC PU) | 2 mg |
| Cellulase (10 CU) | 0.1 mg |
A feature of the super enzymes from NOW Foods is the presence of Ox Bile Extract. Ox Bile helps digest fats and better bile production. It is rare to find its presence in complexes. Papaya fruit and bromelain from pineapple are natural enzymes that allow you to break down food without side effects. By the way, if you are able to eat a piece of pineapple and papaya with every meal, you can easily give up the pills. There are also the standard enzymes – amylase, protease – that break down proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The price is $13 for 90 capsules. Serving size is 1 capsule.
Life Extension, Enhanced Super Digestive Enzymes
Life Extension is a brand that has been tested for years and has a very good reputation. Virtually every product made by this company works. Super digestive enzymes is no exception. It contains a variety of enzymes in a working dosage:
| Vegetarian Digestive Enzyme Blend (supplying) Protease SP (A. oryzae, B. subtilis) 25,000 FCC (HUT) Bromelain (A. comosus) 800,000 FCC (PU) Lactase (A. oryzae) 2,000 FCC (ALU) Cellulase (A. niger) 2,000 FCC (CU) Lipase (C. rugosa) 2,500 FCC (FIP) Alpha Galactosidase (A. niger) 150 (GaIU) Hemicellulase (A. niger) 4,000 (HCU) Pectinase (A. niger) 25 (endo-PGU) Protease 3.0 (A. niger) 10 (SAPU) Xylanase (T. longibrachiatum) 500 (XU) | 140 mg |
This complex quickly digests food and fights problems such as heaviness after eating, gas, belching and diarrhea. By the way, if you have a foul-smelling odor when you pass gas, that is not the norm! This means that the processes of putrefaction in the intestines and the growth of bacterial flora, necessarily in such a case, you need to connect enzymes.
The price for 60 servings is $15. Use iherb promotion code to get a good discount on this product.
Enzymedica, BeanAssist
This medication contains only one enzyme, alpha-galactosidase. Alpha-galactosidase is needed to digest complex carbohydrates such as beans, cabbage, broccoli, and others. BeanAssist is suitable for those who do not have problems digesting regular food. You only need to take it when you are eating the carbohydrate that you are getting bloated on. For me it is peas and cherries. With this drug I have forgotten about gas. The main thing is to always take 1 capsule along with the food you might have a reaction to. The price is only $6 for 30 capsules.
Enzymedica, Digest Basic with Probiotics
Digest Basic complex solves problems with gas, bloating complex due to the presence of probiotics. Let’s look at the full composition:
| Protease Thera-blend™ | 20,000 HUT |
| Amylase Thera-blend™ | 8,440 DU |
| Pectinase | 25 Endo-PGU |
| Maltase | 100 DP |
| Cellulase Thera-blend™ | 500 CU |
| Glucoamylase | 10 AGU |
| Alpha Galactosidase | 50 GalU |
| Lactase | 300 ALU |
| Lipase Thera-blend™ | 450 FIP |
| Invertase | 270 SU |
| Xylanase | 100 XU |
| Probiotic Blend: Bacillus subtilis DE111®, L acidophilus, L. paracasei, L. bulgaricus, L.rhamnosus, L.plantarum, L.casei, L. salivarius, L. acidophilus DDS-1 | 250 million CFU |
In addition to enzymes, we see that the manufacturer has added various probiotics. For patients with bacterial overgrowth syndrome, in addition to the enzymes that digest food and prevent it from rotting, it is also necessary to restore the intestinal microflora. This requires probiotics. Here is a combination for rather mild cases or prophylaxis. I would advise you to also fight the bad bacteria. To do this, you need to take wormwood or grapefruit seed extract, as well as bacteriophages. This is how I was able to cure my husband’s neglected BOS. I will talk more about this in a separate article about probiotics.
The price of this complex is $9 for 30 servings.