Digestive enzymes..do they help?

[BOOOOOOSHHHH]

for digestion issues (I.B.S.) Anyone know first hand? thanks! Kevin.

[CaptainPike]

for digestion issues (I.B.S.) Anyone know first hand? thanks! Kevin.

After I started Nutrisystem, a lot of my issues went away. Not IBS, but I had awful acid reflux and heartburn.

And not to sound gross, but Nutrisystem produces extra smooth flowing soft serve.

[BOOOOOOSHHHH]

mine is IBS-C. My problems are gas,bloating,cramps in stomach etc.. with the dreaded "C" word.

[Greyclouds]

No.

Here's the reason why: most digestive enzymes are proteins that cannot survive the stomach. Pepsin and HCl in the stomach can destroy almost all proteins, apart from some select proteases, prions and protected cells.

I would suggest that you take probiotic cultures of Bacillus coagulans. It helps me ALOT with my digestive health!

You can find a specific pro-biotic therapy containing these cultures here:

http://www.amazon.com/Digestive-Advantage-IBS-Irritable-Syndrome/dp/B0007IQMVG/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_1


Pro-biotics survive the stomach because the individual cells are either in a spore state (resistant to acid inactivation and peptidase activity) or are coated by a substantial glycocalyx (same benefits). Also, probiotics ensure enzymatic activity, because they are live bacterial cultures.


Keep in mind, this is just a Molecular Biologist's opinion, and you should consult your doctor about this, since I do not know your individual allergic condition. Generally, though? Any sort of intestinal issues can be resolved with probiotics. These bacteria are immune system neutral in most cases.

[Stardust]

My comment is, is that you should figure out why you need the digestive enzymes to begin with and perhaps work from there.

Have you had full food allergy testing?

How is your diet? Are you eating a lot of bad fat or foods that are not easily digestable, i.e., red meats, etc.

Are you eating sufficient amounts of fiber - fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.

Are you eating a lot of processed foods?

[countmein]

Continued from Stardust...

Are you drinking enough water? Not soda, not coffee, not milk, not juice, but plain ol' water?

[janer]

I don't know if they help people - but I give acidophilus to my dogs. A few years back we adopted a 10 year old pound hound with multiple health issues, including an inflamed, scaly, tacky disgusting underbelly. The vet put him on antibiotics and special shampoos, which worked temporarily. Then I started reading up on probiotics and the common ingredient was acidophilus, so I bought a bottle of capsules and gave him one a day in his food. Within two weeks, the problem was gone and never came back. Now I give it to both dogs. The woman who runs a local pet supply shop is from Israel, her husband has relatives in Eastern Europe. She told me that when she travels, she always takes acidophilus, starts a few days before the trip and for the duration of the trip and never has GI problems.

[Socrates]

I had to take a course of antibiotics a while back that wreaked havoc with my digestive system. My doctor recommended that I eat that Activia yogurt with the live cultures in it and it seemed to help.

[Greyclouds]

Just a warning to those taking probiotics:

Always do three things before you take probiotic pills.

1. Check the expiration date on the packaging.

2. Check the CFU (colony forming units) per pill and make sure that it is at or above 1 billion CFU of acidophilus

3. Store the pills in a cool dry place (some formulas do not require you to use the fridge, but some do! You don't want competing species growing in your probiotic pills, trust me!)

[John2598]

for digestion issues (I.B.S.) Anyone know first hand? thanks! Kevin.

What's your diet like? You shouldn't be eating a lot of highly processed foods (high sugar, high sodium, high fat, highly refined baked goods, alcohol or soda etc.) and then expect everything to work well.

[angelicmadrigal]

mine is IBS-C. My problems are gas,bloating,cramps in stomach etc.. with the dreaded "C" word.

Try having the opposite of that, where after eating you have 15-20 minutes to get to where there is a bathroom or else. I like to call it "exploding bowels of doom".

Things that generally cause mine to flair up are:
Meat, nuts, dairy products, raw vegetables, fruit, pasta dishes

[traditional_woman]

At my local health food/organic store, they sell the natural based enzymes and they work good. They basically replace what your body is supposed to have. As we age we make less enzymes. I have a few friends who swear by them. I took it once b/c a group of us went out to a late lunch and I hadn't eaten all day. My stomach was screaming(right before i ate) i was practically doubled over in pain. My friend took out a veggie enzyme capsule and told me to take it b/c she takes it for her acid reflux(all the meds the dr's prescribed didn't help her), and i kid you not, the pain was gone within 15 minutes!!!!!!!

Google ''mustard seed veggie enzymes, or super enzymes".

[Greyclouds]

At my local health food/organic store, they sell the natural based enzymes and they work good. They basically replace what your body is supposed to have. As we age we make less enzymes. I have a few friends who swear by them. I took it once b/c a group of us went out to a late lunch and I hadn't eaten all day. My stomach was screaming(right before i ate) i was practically doubled over in pain. My friend took out a veggie enzyme capsule and told me to take it b/c she takes it for her acid reflux(all the meds the dr's prescribed didn't help her), and i kid you not, the pain was gone within 15 minutes!!!!!!!

Google ''mustard seed veggie enzymes, or super enzymes".

In order to get maximal efficiency of these supplements, you must take them before every meal. Much in the same way that lactaid lactase enzymes must be taken before dairy products. Otherwise, the enzymes do not make it past the small intestines, where they are denatured by the alkaline contents of the duodenum or the acidic/peptidase contents of the stomach.

The benefits of probiotic therapy is the need to take only one supplement daily, and not bound by meal timing. Also, papers have shown that probiotics also induce a nasal adaptive immune response (English: taking probiotics orally has been shown to reduce/prevent sinus infections caused by nasal bacteria).

Granted, everyone is different, and I highly encourage that you try out different treatments before settling on one in particular. If probiotic therapy does not work for you, then these enzyme supplements might. The worst case scenario in terms of taking these enzymes is that they're digested by your system anyways.