Digestive enzymes might be the most overlooked, underappreciated part of a good nutrition plan. Even the healthiest diet does little if you don't have good digestive health. 



Unfortunately, most people don't think about using them unless they have issues with their gut health. As you'll see, they're essential for more than breaking down the food you eat. They can play a role in weight loss, muscle growth, and aging well. Not surprisingly, they're part of my Foundational Five.



About 20% of the US population is known to have a digestive issue. That's about 60-70 million people. The percentage continues to grow in the US and across the world. 



Symptoms can be as subtle as gas and bloating to more extreme symptoms like constant diarrhea or intermittent pain.



Exercise, increased core body temperature, injury, stress, and certain diseases can compromise enzyme production. Processed foods may deplete enzyme activity and availability. 



Digestive enzyme insufficiency may contribute to:




Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)



hyperthyroidism



Celiac disease



Crohn's disease




Excessive exercise and diets high in processed foods contribute to a lack of enzymes.



What are Digestive Enzymes?



Enzymes speed up chemical reactions in the body. You use more than 5000 different enzymes every day. Most of those enzymes are metabolic enzymes, responsible for everything from your thoughts to the thickness of your blood.



A relatively small group of your 5000 enzymes convert the food you eat to nutrients that fuel and build your body.



Without digestive enzymes, you wouldn't break down protein, fat, and carbohydrates, and your foods would pass through you undigested. Along the way, the food would destroy your intestines' lining, cause immune reactions, and cause inflammation. Nutritionally, you'd starve, no matter how much food you ate.



Digestive enzymes fall into three different categories, based on the macronutrient they act on:



Proteases and peptidases



Proteases and peptidases convert protein to peptides and amino acids. They also act on other parts of the body to support normal immune function, inflammation levels, tissue repair, and blood viscosity.



Common proteases and peptidases include bromelain, Pancreatin, Papain, Peptidase, Protease, and Trypsin.



Carbohydrases



Carbohydrases convert carbohydrates to glucose and fructose.



Common carbohydrases include Alpha-galactosidase, Amylase, Cellulase, Diastase, Glucoamylase, Invertase, Lactase, and Phytase.



Lipases



Lipases convert fat to fatty acids.



Common lipases include Lingual Lipase, Gastric Lipase, Pancrealipase.



Proteases and Peptidases (Proteolytic Enzymes)



Proteases (also known as proteolytic enzymes) act on protein in the digestive system. However, they also affect many other areas of the body.



The average healthy adult breaks down 250-300 grams of protein throughout the body every day. Your body does this to replace damaged or aged tissues with new ones. Proteolytic enzymes play an essential role in this process.



They also help maintain healthy inflammation levels, modulate pain, and support normal immune function.



Because the body can produce a limited number of proteolytic enzymes, demand can exceed supply. Following an injury or extreme physical stress, proteolytic enzymes can be directed to the tissue repair, leaving the digestive system without enough to complete digestion.



This could be why athletes often deal with digestive issues. If they don't get extra proteolytic enzymes through food or supplements, their available enzymes take part in tissue repair, leaving them short on what they need for proper digestion.



On the other hand, in some people, enzymes are directed to digestion, leaving the rest of their body short. In this case, inflammation could get out of hand, or tissues and joints could get irritated.



When supplemented in the diet, proteolytic enzymes have been shown to reduce stiffness and e...