Vitamin Retailer asked the question: “We all know about Swedish bitters. They were, and are, supposed to get the digestive juices going. Along the line of helping the digestive process, how important are enzymes in digestive products, and what can retailers tell their customers about what to look for?”
Jennifer Weinhardt, BS, MS, Sr. Research & Development Specialist, at Bluebonnet Nutrition Corporation, Sugar Land, TX, www.bluebonnetnutrition.com, offered her insights:
Digestive enzyme deficiencies can arouse a number of issues such as gas, bowel problems, bloating, food allergies, indigestion, and of course, heartburn. In fact, enzymes are vital because they initiate and control almost every biochemical reaction in the body! So even though enzymes fall into a broad category, a client that has lactose intolerance, wheat/gluten-intolerance or heartburn would not use the same formula for each of these conditions. This is because these are very different situations, so different strategies are essential to getting the right care. Plus, not all enzymes perform the same function. When you are treating a “digestive intolerance,” you are providing the body with enzymes and/or hydrochloric acid (HCl) to help sensitive individuals digest particular foods that:
1) They are unable to digest, like lactose or gluten/gliaden, because of genetics, and they can benefit from food enzyme supplements.
a) In this first case, it may come as a surprise, but the ability to digest lactose (milk sugar found in milk and most dairy) in adults is inherited as a dominant Mendelian trait. In fact, the condition of lactose intolerance is not the same as being allergic to milk, since the condition does not affect the immune function and does not essentially mean you have to live a life devoid of dairy.
You see at birth, almost all infants produce the lactase enzyme and can therefore drink their mother’s milk without experiencing bloating, cramping or diarrhea. However, after weaning infants stop producing lactase and prepare for an adult diet rich in animal products, grains and fruits of the Earth. Originally, this was also the case for all humans. However, a mutation occurred in the lactase gene of one of our ancestors—allowing them to digest lactose into adulthood! The ability to continue to digest lactose into adulthood turned out to be highly advantageous for us, because of the nutrition that all milk and dairy products provide. However, those who have a double copy variant in their DNA do not synthesize lactase at all or only in small amounts, and that is why taking a digestive enzyme rich in lactase, protease and lipase, like Bluebonnet’s Dairy-Zymes, is the perfect complement to any meal or snack where milk or dairy is present for healthy digestion.
b) In the second case, gluten-intolerance is a generic term and encompasses gluten-sensitivity, wheat allergy and celiac sprue, which is a genetic condition that is classified as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the small intestine. When gluten from cereals like wheat, barley, and rye are consumed, the principle toxic components of gluten (i.e., proline and glutamine peptides) are resistant to complete digestion and influence a significant immune response with many side effects like diarrhea, abdominal pain and other symptoms, like destroyed microvilli that aid in nutrient absorption. As a result, people with this condition are urged to follow a strict gluten-free diet. However, revolutionary developments have taken place in the science in the last few community years allowing for the development of several enzymes including, aspergillopepsin (ASP), dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV), and cysteine endoprotease (EP-B2), all of which have shown some promise to help those who are gluten-sensitive or have wheat allergies, but not in those that test positive for celiac. Gluten-sensitivity and wheat allergies are not the same as having an autoimmune condition like celiac sprue, but this research may open the door to future studies and therapies for people afflicted with this autoimmune condition.
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2) They aggravate a pre-existing chronic condition (e.g., acid reflux disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer, etc.) that produces heartburn, and they can benefit from digestive enzyme supplements.
a) Heartburn, unlike lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance, is a symptom, and is associated with preexisting conditions when the gut is no longer at its best and can no longer secrete the hydrochloric acid and proteolytic enzymes (i.e., protein digestive enzymes like pepsin) that are needed for complete digestion. In this instance, a preparation like Bluebonnet’s Betaine HCl Plus Pepsin is helpful, because by supplying vegetarian based HCl plus the powerful proteolytic enzyme pepsin, which digests protein in the gut, will help to reduce the flux of acid in the gut and will support complete digestion. It is unclear to what extent betaine HCl reduces gastric pH, but, depending on how much is taken, it may possess sufficient acidity to deactivate pH-sensitive enzymes such as those contained in pancreatin.
