Digestive enzymes are produced in the pancreas and salivary glands and help to break down the protein, carbohydrate, and fat components of food for use by the body. Digestive enzymes are essential to the body's absorption and full use of food. The capacity of the living organism to make enzymes diminishes with age. Also consider a natural herbal diet product called Diet Rx which helps you eat less by suppressing your appetite. By eating less you may need fewer digestive enzymes. See below.

Source Naturals - Daily Essential Enzymes, 500 mg, 240 Capsules



Digestive Aid
Enzyme Supplement
Each capsule contains 500 mg of an all-vegetarian, broad spectrum blend of digestive enzymes.


Digestive Enzyme Supplement Facts
For Protein digestion :
   Vegetable Analog of Pancreatin
   Acid Stable Protease
For Fat digestion:
   Lipase
To break down carbohydrates:
   Alpha-Amylase
   Amyloglucosidase*
To break down Fiber:
   Cellulose
   Hemicellulase
To break down sugar:
   Lactase

Directions: One digestive enzyme capsule with water at the beginning of each meal (or open capsule and sprinkle over food). If the meal is very large or unusually high in fat or protein, a second capsule can be taken after eating. Do not sprinkle on hot food. Store in a cool dry place.

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Diet Rx natural appetite suppressant
If you would like to eat less, consider a product called Diet Rx. This natural appetite suppressant works without stimulants. Diet Rx has no added caffeine, ephedra, ephedrine alkaloids, synephrine, hormones, guarana, ginseng, or stimulating amino acids. 

Benefits of Diet Rx
All natural appetite suppressant, decreases appetite so you eat less
Helps you maintain healthy blood sugar levels
Helps you maintain healthy cholesterol and lipid levels
Provides a variety of antioxidant from two dozen herbs and nutrients
Provides healthy fiber
Improves energy
Balances mood
Improves mental concentration and focus
Improves will power and choice of food selection

You can buy Diet Rx here, find out the ingredients, and see a list of hundreds of high quality natural supplement products

Digestive Enzymes found in the mouth
Amylase is secreted by the salivary glands. Salivary lipase prepares fat for digestion. See saliva for more information.

Digestive Enzymes found in the stomach
Gastric acid Initiates digestion of protein and kills bacteria. Pepsinogen is secreted which converts into pepsin. Pepsin Aids in initiation of protein digestion. Gastric lipase initiates digestion of dietary fat. Intrinsic Factor Aids in absorption of Vitamin B12 by small intestine.
     Secretion by the gastric glands is stimulated by the hormone gastrin. Gastrin is released by endocrine cells in the stomach in response to the arrival of food.
     Pepsin, the main digestive enzyme in stomach juice, is often found in middle ear fluid obtained from children with chronic otitis. This suggests an association between the ear problem and gastro-esophageal reflux disease, or GERD, in which gastric juice leaks into the throat. However, these children do not show an increased rate of GERD symptoms.

The role of the LIver
Bile Acids help dissolve dietary fat. Phospholipids promote absorption of fats. Cholesterol is excreted in bile.

Pancreatic Digestive Enzymes
Bicarbonate secreted by the pancreas neutralizes acid and protects digestive enzymes. The pancreas makes amylase, lipase, proteases and many other important digestive enzymes. The major pancreatic proteases are carboxypeptidase, elastase, trypsin and chymotrypsin. In addition to the proteases, lipase and amylase, the pancreas produces a host of other digestive enzymes, including ribonuclease, deoxyribonuclease, gelatinase and elastase. The secretion of pancreatic fluid is controlled by two hormones: Secretin, which mainly affects the release of sodium bicarbonate, and Cholecystokinin (CCK), which stimulates the release of the digestive enzymes. Inflammation of the pancreas is called pancreatititis.

Natural Digestive Enzymes in the small intestine
Aminopeptidases attack the amino terminal (N-terminal) of peptides producing amino acids.
Disaccharidases convert disaccharides into their monosaccharide subunits.
Maltase hydrolyzes maltose into glucose.
Sucrase hydrolyzes sucrose (common table sugar) into glucose and fructose.
Lactase hydrolyzes lactose (milk sugar) into glucose and galactose.

An Alphabetical list of Digestive Enzymes
Aminopeptidases attack the amino terminal (N-terminal) of peptides producing amino acids.
Amylase to digest carbohydrates such as starch and glycogen. Amylase is secreted by the pancreas and small amounts are also made in the salivary glands. Amylase is the enzyme that hydrolyses starch to maltose (a glucose-glucose disaccharide), as well as the trisaccharide maltotriose and small branchpoints fragments called limit dextrins.
Bromelain is found in pineapples
Carboxypeptidase removes, one by one, the amino acids at the C-terminal of peptides. Cellulase for fruit and vegetable digestion
Chymotrypsin is a protease secreted by the pancreas for protein digestion. Chymotrypsin cuts on the C-terminal side of tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan residues
Disaccharidases convert disaccharides into their monosaccharide subunits.
Elastase cuts peptide bonds next to small, uncharged side chains such as those of alanine and serine.
Ficin from figs
Lactase for milk sugar digestion
LIpase for fat digestion. The drug orlistat (Xenical) is a pancreatic lipase inhibitor that interferes with digestion of triglyceride and thereby reduces absorption of dietary fat. The health concerns regarding the use of orlistat and blocking of fat absorption are yet to be fully understood.
Maltase hydrolyzes maltose into glucose.
Nucleases hydrolyze ingested nucleic acids (RNA and DNA) into their component nucleotides.
Pancreatin
Pepsin is secreted in the stomach. Digestion of proteins is initiated by pepsin in the stomach, but the bulk of protein digestion is due to the pancreatic proteases secreted in the small intestine..
Papain is in papayas
Protease for protein digestion is secreted by the pancreas.
Trypsin is a protease secreted by the pancreas for protein digestion. Trypsin cleaves peptide bonds on the C-terminal side of arginines and lysines.
Sucrase hydrolyzes sucrose (common table sugar) into glucose and fructose.
 

Digestive Enzymes supplement

Food enzymes
Bromelain is found in pineapples
Ficin from figs
Nattokinase enzyme
Papain -- Papaya enzymes
 

See Enzymes for additional enzymes found in the body

Digestive Enzymes emails
Q. I wonder if you can help. I am looking for a supplement that has trypsin, chymotrypsin and carboxypeptidase in it and am not having much success in locating such a supplement.
     A. We don't know of such a product at this time, but if we do we will mention it in the newsletter.

Q. Re: Inositol hexaniacinate. Can this prod. be safely taken with systemic enzymes or digestive enzymes?
   A. Much of the safety of taking a supplement, for instance digestive enzymes, depends on the dosage used. For instance, if someone asked, is it safe to have wine with a supplement, the answer would depend on whether the person intends to drink one ounce or one bottle. Most supplements are generally safe to use with other supplements if the amounts are low. However, many factors can alter this based on age, medical condition, medicines used, etc. Fro a full discussion,